Syringe with PECVD lubrication

ABSTRACT

A syringe or other vessel having a substrate surface coated by PECVD is provided. The PECVD coating is made by generating plasma from a gaseous reactant comprising an organosilicon precursor and optionally O2. The lubricity, hydrophobicity and/or barrier properties of the coating are set by setting the ratio of the O2 to the organosilicon precursor in the gaseous reactant, and/or by setting the electric power used for generating the plasma. In particular, a lubricity coating made by said method is provided. Vessels coated by said method and the use of such vessels protecting a compound or composition contained or received in said coated vessel against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated vessel material are also provided.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/697,048, filed on May 11, 2011, which is a 371 of international of PCT/US2011/036097 filed on May 11, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 12/779,007, filed on May 12, 2010, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,985,188 on Jul. 26, 2011. All of these applications are incorporated here by reference in their entireties.

U.S. Ser. No. 13/697,048, filed on May 11, 2011, is also a continuation-in-part of PCT/US2010/034586, filed May 12, 2010, and claims the benefit of the following: U.S. Provisional Application No. 61,359,434, filed Jun. 29, 2010, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/413,334 filed Nov. 12, 2010, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/452,256, filed Mar. 14, 2011. All of these applications are incorporated here by reference in their entireties.

U.S. Provisional Ser. Nos. 61/177,984 filed May 13, 2009; 61/222,727, filed Jul. 2, 2009; 61/213,904, filed Jul. 24, 2009; 61/234,505, filed Aug. 17, 2009; 61/261,321, filed Nov. 14, 2009; 61/263,289, filed Nov. 20, 2009; 61/285,813, filed Dec. 11, 2009; 61/298,159, filed Jan. 25, 2010; 61/299,888, filed Jan. 29, 2010; 61/318,197, filed Mar. 26, 2010; 61/333,625, filed May 11, 2010; and 61/413,334, filed Nov. 12, 2010; and U.S. Ser. No. 12/779,007, filed May 12, 2010, are all incorporated here by reference in their entirety.

Also incorporated by reference in their entirety are the following European patent applications: EP10162755.2 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162760.2 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162756.0 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162758.6 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162761.0 filed May 12, 2010; and EP10162757.8 filed May 12, 2010. These European patent applications describe apparatus, vessels, precursors, coatings and methods (in particular coating methods and test methods for examining the coatings) which can generally be used in performing the present invention, unless stated otherwise herein. They also describe SiO_(x) barrier coatings to which reference is made herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical field of fabrication of coated vessels for storing biologically active compounds or blood. For example, the invention relates to a vessel processing system for coating of a vessel, vessel processing system for coating and inspection of a vessel, to a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition apparatus for coating an interior surface of a vessel, to a method for coating an interior surface of a vessel, to a method for coating and inspection of a vessel, to a method of processing a vessel, to the use of a vessel processing system, to a computer-readable medium and to a program element.

A method for coating a substrate surface by PECVD is provided, the method comprising generating a plasma from a gaseous reactant comprising an organosilicon precursor and optionally O₂. A carrier gas may also be present. The lubricity, hydrophobicity and/or barrier properties of the coating are set by setting the ratio of the O₂ to the organosilicon precursor and to the carrier gas in the gaseous reactant, and/or by setting the electric power used for generating the plasma. In particular, a lubricity coating made by said method is provided. Vessels coated by said method and the use of such vessels protecting a compound or composition contained or received in said coated vessel against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated vessel material are also provided. Further provided are surfaces coated with the lubricity coating, and methods for production of said lubricity coating.

The present disclosure also relates to improved methods for processing vessels, for example multiple identical vessels used for venipuncture and other medical sample collection, pharmaceutical preparation storage and delivery, and other purposes. Such vessels are used in large numbers for these purposes, and must be relatively economical to manufacture and yet highly reliable in storage and use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An important consideration when regarding syringes is to ensure that the plunger can move at a constant speed and with a constant force when it is pressed into the barrel. For this purpose, a lubricity layer, either on one or on both of the barrel and the plunger, is desirable. A similar consideration applies to vessels which have to be closed by a stopper, and to the stopper itself, and more generally to any surface which has to provide a certain lubricity.

There are additional considerations to be taken into account when manufacturing a prefilled syringe. Prefilled syringes are commonly prepared and sold so the syringe does not need to be filled before use. The syringe can be prefilled with saline solution, a dye for injection, or a pharmaceutically active preparation, for some examples.

Commonly, the prefilled syringe is capped at the distal end, as with a cap, and is closed at the proximal end by its drawn plunger. The prefilled syringe can be wrapped in a sterile package before use. To use the prefilled syringe, the packaging and cap are removed, optionally a hypodermic needle or another delivery conduit is attached to the distal end of the barrel, the delivery conduit or syringe is moved to a use position (such as by inserting the hypodermic needle into a patient's blood vessel or into apparatus to be rinsed with the contents of the syringe), and the plunger is advanced in the barrel to inject the contents of the barrel.

One important consideration in manufacturing pre-filled syringes is that the contents of the syringe desirably will have a substantial shelf life, during which it is important to isolate the material filling the syringe from the barrel wall containing it, to avoid leaching material from the barrel into the prefilled contents or vice versa.

Since many of these vessels are inexpensive and used in large quantities, for certain applications it will be useful to reliably obtain the necessary shelf life without increasing the manufacturing cost to a prohibitive level. For decades, most parenteral therapeutics have been delivered to end users in Type I medical grade borosilicate glass containers such as vials or pre-filled syringes. The relatively strong, impermeable and inert surface of borosilicate glass has performed adequately for most drug products. However, the recent advent of costly, complex and sensitive biologics as well as such advanced delivery systems as auto injectors has exposed glass' physical and chemical shortcomings including possible contamination from metals and breakage, among other problems. Moreover, glass contains several components which can leach out during storage and cause damage to the stored material. In more detail, borosilicate vessels exhibit a number of drawbacks:

Glass is manufactured from sand containing a heterogeneous mixture of many elements (silicon, oxygen, boron, aluminum, sodium, calcium) with trace levels of other alkali and earth metals. Type I borosilicate glass consists of approximately 76% SiO₂, 10.5% B₂O₃, 5% Al₂O₃, 7% Na₂O and 1.5% CaO and often contains trace metals such as iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and others. The heterogeneous nature of borosilicate glass creates a non-uniform surface chemistry at the molecular level. Glass forming processes used to create glass containers expose some portions of the containers to temperatures as great as 1200° C. Under such high temperatures alkali ions migrate to the local surface and form oxides. The presence of ions extracted from borosilicate glass devices may be involved in degradation, aggregation and denaturation of some biologics. Many proteins and other biologics must be lyophilized (freeze dried), because they are not sufficiently stable in solution in glass vials or syringes.

In glass syringes, silicon oil is typically used as a lubricant to allow the plunger to slide in the barrel. Silicon oil has been implicated in the precipitation of protein solutions such as insulin and some other biologics. Additionally, the silicon oil coating is often non-uniform, resulting in syringe failures in the market.

Glass vessels are prone to breakage or degradation during manufacture, filling operations, shipping and use, which means that glass particulates may enter the drug. The presence of glass particles has led to many FDA Warning Letters and to product recalls.

Glass-forming processes do not yield the tight dimensional tolerances required for some of the newer auto-injectors and delivery systems.

As a result, some companies have turned to plastic vessels, which provide greater dimensional tolerance and less breakage than glass but lack its impermeability.

Although plastic is superior to glass with respect to breakage, dimensional tolerances and surface uniformity, plastic's use for primary pharmaceutical packaging remains limited due to the following shortcomings:

Surface characteristics: Plastics suitable for pre-syringes and vials generally exhibit hydrophobic surfaces, which often reduce the stability of the biologic drug contained in the device.

Gas (oxygen) permeability: Plastic allows small molecule gases to permeate into (or out of) the device. Plastics' permeability to gases is significantly greater than that of glass and, in many cases (as with oxygen-sensitive drugs such as epinephrine), plastics are unacceptable for that reason.

Water vapor transmission: Plastics allow water vapors to pass through devices to a greater degree than glass. This can be detrimental to the shelf life of a solid (lyophilized) drug. Alternatively, a liquid product may lose water in an arid environment.

Leachables and extractables: Plastic vessels contain organic compounds that can leach out or be extracted into the drug product. These compounds can contaminate the drug and/or negatively impact the drug's stability.

Clearly, while plastic and glass vessels each offer certain advantages in pharmaceutical primary packaging, neither is optimal for all drugs, biologics or other therapeutics. Thus, there is a desire for plastic vessels, in particular plastic syringes, with gas and solute barrier properties which approach the properties of glass. Moreover, there is a need for plastic syringes with sufficient lubricity properties and a lubricity coating which is compatible with the syringe contents.

A non-exhaustive list of patents of possible relevance includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,068,884 and 4,844,986 and U.S. Published Applications 20060046006 and 20040267194.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to plastic vessels, in particular vials and syringes, coated with thin, PECVD coatings made from organosilicon precursors. These novel devices offer the superior barrier properties of glass and the dimensional tolerances and breakage resistance of plastics, yet eliminate the drawbacks of both materials. With designed modifications to the PECVD process, the surface chemistry of the coating can be predictably varied. In particular, a plasma coating (SiOxCyHz) is provided which improves lubricity (“lubricity coating”), thus eliminating the need for traditional silicon oil lubricants e.g. in syringes. Further embodiments of the invention are methods to influence the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of said coatings and the resulting coated devices.

A particular embodiment of present invention is a plastic (in particular, COC) syringe coated with a Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) coating providing lubricity to the syringe interior, thus eliminatingthe extractables from traditional silicon oil. The lubricity coating can be on the syringe barrel, the plunger (or one of its parts, e.g. the side walls of the piston), or both. Such syringe can also in addition have a SiO_(x) barrier coating made by PECVD according to the present invention. A very particular embodiment is a syringe having a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) barrel, a SiO_(x) barrier layer on the inner wall of said barrel, and a lubricity layer on said barrier layer. A SiOx barrier coating typically is 20 to 30 nm thick.

The coatings described herein are glass-like, but do not contain other elements such as boron, sodium, calcium, aluminum and impurities found in glass.

The coatings have a surface free of deleterious elements and impurities found in Type I medical grade borosilicate glass. The coating is deposited on a plastic substrate from plasma, which utilizes organosilicons, creating a uniform layer.

The invention further pertains to a vessel processing system for coating of a vessel, the system comprising a processing station arrangement configured for performing the above and/or below mentioned method steps. Examples of such processing stations 5501-5504 are depicted in FIG. 12-14 .

The invention further pertains to a computer-readable medium, in which a computer program for coating of a vessel is stored which, when being executed by a processor of a vessel processing system, is adapted to instruct the processor to control the vessel processing system such that it carries out the above and/or below mentioned method steps.

The invention further pertains to a program element or computer program for coating of a vessel, which, when being executed by a processor of a vessel processing system, is adapted to instruct the processor to control the vessel processing system such that it carries out the above and/or below mentioned method steps.

The processor may thus be equipped to carry out exemplary embodiments of the methods of the present invention. The computer program may be written in any suitable programming language, for example, C++ and may be stored on the computer-readable medium, such as a CD-ROM. Also, the computer program may be available from a network, such as the WorldWideWeb, from which it may be downloaded into image processing units or processors, or any suitable computers.

In the following, coating methods according to the invention and coated devices according to the invention which are made by these methods are described. The methods can be carried out on the equipment (vessel processing system and vessel holder) which is also described below.

PECVD Coating Method

The present invention pertains to a method of preparing a coating by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition treatment (PECVD), and for example a method of coating the interior surface of a vessel.

A surface, for example an interior vessel surface, is provided, as is a reaction mixture comprising an organosilicon compound gas, optionally an oxidizing gas, optionally a hydrocarbon gas, and optionally a carrier gas. For preparing a lubricity coating, a mixture of an organosilicon precursor (e.g. OMCTS), Oxygen and Argon is preferred.

The surface is contacted with the reaction mixture. Plasma is formed in the reaction mixture. The coating is deposited on at least a portion of the surface, e.g. a portion of the vessel interior wall.

The method is carried out as follows.

A precursor is provided. Preferably, said precursor is an organosilicon compound (in the following also designated as “organosilicon precursor”), more preferably an organosilicon compound selected from the group consisting of a linear siloxane, a monocyclic siloxane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polysilsesquioxane, an alkyl trimethoxysilane, an aza analogue of any of these precursors (i.e. a linear siloxazane, a monocyclic siloxazane, a polycyclic siloxazane, a polysilsesquioxazane), and a combination of any two or more of these precursors. The precursor is applied to a substrate under conditions effective to form a coating by PECVD. The precursor is thus polymerized, crosslinked, partially or fully oxidized, or any combination of these.

In one aspect of the invention, the coating is a lubricity coating, i.e. it forms a surface having a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated substrate.

In another aspect of the invention, the coating is a passivating coating, for example a hydrophobic coating resulting, e.g., in a lower precipitation of components of a composition in contact with the coated surface. Such hydrophobic coating is characterized by a lower wetting tension than its uncoated counterpart.

A lubricity coating of the present invention may also be a passivating coating and vice versa.

In a further aspect of the invention, the coating is a barrier coating, for example an SiO_(x) coating. Typically, the barrier is against a gas or liquid, preferably against water vapor, oxygen and/or air. The barrier may also be used for establishing and/or maintaining a vacuum inside a vessel coated with the barrier coating, e.g. inside a blood collection tube.

The method of the invention may comprise the application of one or more coatings made by PECVD from the same or different organosilicon precursors under the same or different reaction conditions. E.g. s syringe may first be coated with an SiO_(x) barrier coating using HMDSO as organosilicon precursor, and subsequently with a lubricity coating using OMCTS as organosilicon precursor.

Lubricity Coating

In its main aspect, the present invention provides a lubricity coating.

This coating is advantageously made by the PECVD method and using the precursors as described above. A preferred precursor for the lubricating coating is a monocyclic siloxane, for example octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS).

For example, the present invention provides a method for setting the lubricity properties of a coating on a substrate surface, the method comprising the steps:

-   -   (a) providing a gas comprising an organosilicon precursor and         optionally O₂ and optionally a noble gas (e.g. Argon) in the         vicinity of the substrate surface; and     -   (b) generating a plasma from the gas, thus forming a coating on         the substrate surface by plasma enhanced chemical vapor         deposition (PECVD), wherein the lubricity characteristics of the         coating are set by setting the ratio of the O₂ to the         organosilicon precursor in the gaseous reactant, and/or by         setting the electric power used for generating the plasma,         and/or by setting the ratio of the noble gas to the         organosilicon precursor.

The resulting coated surface has a lower frictional resistance than the untreated substrate. For example, when the coated surface is the inside of a syringe barrel and/or a syringe plunger, the lubricity coating is effective to provide a breakout force or plunger sliding force, or both, that is less than the corresponding force required in the absence of the lubricating coating.

The article coated with the lubricity coating may be a vessel having the lubricating coating on a wall, preferably on the interior wall, e.g. a syringe barrel, or a vessel part or vessel cap having said coating on the vessel contacting surface, e.g. a syringe plunger or a vessel cap.

The lubricity coating typically has a formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z). It generally has an atomic ratio Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y) wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, preferably w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to 1.5, and y is from 0.9 to 2.0, more preferably w is 1, x is from 0.7 to 1.2 and y is from 0.9 to 2.0. The atomic ratio can be determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). Taking into account the H atoms, the lubricity coating may thus in one aspect have the formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), for example where w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, and z is from about 2 to about 9. Typically, the atomic ratios are Si 100:O 80-110:C 100-150 in a particular lubricity coating of present invention. Specifically, the atomic ratio may be Si 100:O 92-107:C 116-133, and such lubricity coating would hence contain 36% to 41% carbon normalized to 100% carbon plus oxygen plus silicon.

Passivating, for Example Hydrophobic Coating

The passivating coating according to the present invention is for example a hydrophobic coating.

A preferred precursor for the passivating, for example the hydrophobic coating is a linear siloxane, for example hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO).

A passivating coating according to the present invention prevents or reduces mechanical and/or chemical effects of the uncoated surface on a compound or composition contained in the vessel. For example, precipitation and/or clotting or platelet activation of a compound or component of a composition in contact with the surface are prevented or reduced, e.g. blood clotting or platelet activation or precipitation of insulin, or wetting of the uncoated surface by an aqueous fluid is prevented.

A particular aspect of the invention is a surface having a hydrophobic coating with the formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z). It generally has an atomic ratio Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y) wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, preferably w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to 1.5, and y is from 0.9 to 2.0, more preferably w is 1, x is from 0.7 to 1.2 and y is from 0.9 to 2.0. The atomic ratio can be determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). Taking into account the H atoms, the hydrophobic coating may thus in one aspect have the formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), for example where w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, and z is from about 2 to about 9. Typically, the atomic ratios are Si 100:O 80-110:C 100-150 in a particular hydrophobic coating of present invention. Specifically, the atomic ratio may be Si 100:O 92-107:C 116-133, and such coating would hence contain 36% to 41% carbon normalized to 100% carbon plus oxygen plus silicon.

The article coated with the passivating coating may be a vessel having the coating on a wall, preferably on the interior wall, e.g. a tube, or a vessel part or vessel cap having said coating on the vessel contacting surface, e.g. a vessel cap.

Coating of a Vessel

When a vessel is coated by the above coating method using PECVD, the coating method comprises several steps. A vessel is provided having an open end, a closed end, and an interior surface. At least one gaseous reactant is introduced within the vessel. Plasma is formed within the vessel under conditions effective to form a reaction product of the reactant, i.e. a coating, on the interior surface of the vessel.

Preferably, the method is performed by seating the open end of the vessel on a vessel holder as described herein, establishing a sealed communication between the vessel holder and the interior of the vessel. In this preferred aspect, the gaseous reactant is introduced into the vessel through the vessel holder. In a particularly preferred aspect of the invention, a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) apparatus comprising a vessel holder, an inner electrode, an outer electrode, and a power supply is used for the coating method according to the present invention.

The vessel holder has a port to receive a vessel in a seated position for processing. The inner electrode is positioned to be received within a vessel seated on a vessel holder. The outer electrode has an interior portion positioned to receive a vessel seated on the vessel holder. The power supply feeds alternating current to the inner and/or outer electrodes to form a plasma within the vessel seated on the vessel holder. Typically, the power supply feeds alternating current to the outer electrode while the inner electrode is grounded. In this embodiment, the vessel defines the plasma reaction chamber.

In a particular aspect of the invention, the PECVD apparatus as described in the preceding paragraphs comprises a gas drain, not necessarily including a source of vacuum, to transfer gas to or from the interior of a vessel seated on the port to define a closed chamber.

In a further particular aspect of the invention, the PECVD apparatus includes a vessel holder, a first gripper, a seat on the vessel holder, a reactant supply, a plasma generator, and a vessel release.

The vessel holder is configured for seating to the open end of a vessel. The first gripper is configured for selectively holding and releasing the closed end of a vessel and, while gripping the closed end of the vessel, transporting the vessel to the vicinity of the vessel holder. The vessel holder has a seat configured for establishing sealed communication between the vessel holder and the interior space of the first vessel.

The reactant supply is operatively connected for introducing at least one gaseous reactant within the first vessel through the vessel holder. The plasma generator is configured for forming plasma within the first vessel under conditions effective to form a reaction product of the reactant on the interior surface of the first vessel.

The vessel release is provided for unseating the first vessel from the vessel holder. A gripper which is the first gripper or another gripper is configured for axially transporting the first vessel away from the vessel holder and then releasing the first vessel.

In a particular aspect of the invention, the method is for coating an inner surface of a restricted opening of a vessel, for example a generally tubular vessel, by PECVD. The vessel includes an outer surface, an inner surface defining a lumen, a larger opening having an inner diameter, and a restricted opening that is defined by an inner surface and has an inner diameter smaller than the larger opening inner diameter. A processing vessel is provided having a lumen and a processing vessel opening. The processing vessel opening is connected with the restricted opening of the vessel to establish communication between the lumen of the vessel to be processed and the processing vessel lumen via the restricted opening. At least a partial vacuum is drawn within the lumen of the vessel to be processed and the processing vessel lumen. A PECVD reactant is flowed through the first opening, then through the lumen of the vessel to be processed, then through the restricted opening, then into the processing vessel lumen. Plasma is generated adjacent to the restricted opening under conditions effective to deposit a coating of a PECVD reaction product on the inner surface of the restricted opening.

Coated Vessel and Vessel Parts

The present invention further provides the coating resulting from the method as described above, a surface coated with said coating, and a vessel coated with said coating.

The surface coated with the coating, e.g. the vessel wall or a part thereof, may be glass or a polymer, preferably a thermoplastic polymer, more preferably a polymer selected from the group consisting of a polycarbonate, an olefin polymer, a cyclic olefin copolymer and a polyester. For example, it is a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), a polyethylene terephthalate or a polypropylene. For syringe barrels, COC is particularly considered.

In a particular aspect of the invention, the vessel wall has an interior polymer layer enclosed by at least one exterior polymer layer. The polymers may be same or different. E.g., one of the polymer layers of a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) resin (e.g., defining a water vapor barrier), another polymer layer is a layer of a polyester resin. Such vessel may be made by a process including introducing COC and polyester resin layers into an injection mold through concentric injection nozzles.

The coated vessel of the invention may be empty, evacuated or (pre)filled with a compound or composition.

A particular aspect of the invention is a vessel having a passivating coating, for example a hydrophobic coating as defined above.

A further particular aspect of the invention is a surface having a lubricity coating as defined above. It may be a vessel having the lubricity coating on a wall, preferably on the interior wall, e.g. a syringe barrel, or a vessel part or vessel cap having said coating on the vessel contacting surface, e.g. a syringe plunger or a vessel cap.

A particular aspect of the invention is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a lubricity coating as defined above on either one or both of these syringe parts, preferably on the inside wall of the syringe barrel. The syringe barrel includes a barrel having an interior surface slidably receiving the plunger. The lubricity coating may be disposed on the interior surface of the syringe barrel, or on the plunger surface contacting the barrel, or on both said surfaces. The lubricity coating is effective to reduce the breakout force or the plunger sliding force necessary to move the plunger within the barrel.

A further particular aspect of the invention is a syringe barrel coated with the lubricity coating as defined in the preceding paragraph.

In a specific aspect of said coated syringe barrel, the syringe barrel comprises a barrel defining a lumen and having an interior surface slidably receiving a plunger. The syringe barrel is advantageously made of thermoplastic material. A lubricity coating is applied to the barrel interior surface, the plunger, or both, by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). A solute retainer is applied over the lubricity coating by surface treatment, e.g. in an amount effective to reduce a leaching of the lubricity coating, the thermoplastic material, or both into the lumen. The lubricity coating and solute retainer are composed, and present in relative amounts, effective to provide a breakout force, plunger sliding force, or both that is less than the corresponding force required in the absence of the lubricity coating and solute retainer.

Still another aspect of the invention is a syringe including a plunger, syringe barrel, and interior and exterior coatings. The barrel has an interior surface slidably receiving the plunger and an exterior surface. A lubricity coating is on the interior surface, and an additional barrier coating of SiO_(x), in which x is from about 1.5 to about 2.9, may be provided on the interior surface of the barrel. A barrier coating, e.g. of a resin or of a further SiO_(x) coating, may additionally be provided on the exterior surface of the barrel.

Another aspect of the invention is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a staked needle (a “staked needle syringe”). The needle is hollow with a typical size ranging from 18-29 gauge. The syringe barrel has an interior surface slidably receiving the plunger. The staked needle may be affixed to the syringe during the injection molding of the syringe or may be assembled to the formed syringe using an adhesive. A cover is placed over the staked needle to seal the syringe assembly. The syringe assembly must be sealed so that a vacuum can be maintained within the syringe to enable the PECVD coating process.

Another aspect of the invention is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a Luer fitting. The syringe barrel has an interior surface slidably receiving the plunger. The Luer fitting includes a Luer taper having an internal passage defined by an internal surface. The Luer fitting is formed as a separate piece from the syringe barrel and joined to the syringe barrel by a coupling. The internal passage of the Luer taper has a barrier coating of SiO_(x), in which x is from about 1.5 to about 2.9.

Another aspect of the invention is a plunger for a syringe, including a piston and a push rod. The piston has a front face, a generally cylindrical side face, and a back portion, the side face being configured to movably seat within a syringe barrel. The plunger has a lubricity coating according to the present invention on its side face. The push rod engages the back portion of the piston and is configured for advancing the piston in a syringe barrel. The plunger may additionally comprise a SiO_(x) coating.

A further aspect of the invention is a vessel with just one opening, i.e. a vessel for collecting or storing a compound or composition. Such vessel is in a specific aspect a tube, e.g. a sample collecting tube, e.g., a blood collecting tube. Said tube may be closed with a closure, e.g. a cap or stopper. Such cap or stopper may comprise a lubricity coating according to the present invention on its surface which is in contact with the tube, and/or it may contain a passivating coating according to the present invention on its surface facing the lumen of the tube. In a specific aspect, such stopper or a part thereof may be made from an elastomeric material.

Such a stopper may be made as follows: The stopper is located in a substantially evacuated chamber. A reaction mixture is provided including an organosilicon compound gas, optionally an oxidizing gas, and optionally a hydrocarbon gas. Plasma is formed in the reaction mixture, which is contacted with the stopper. A coating is deposited on at least a portion of the stopper.

A further aspect of the invention is a vessel having a barrier coating according to the present invention. The vessel is generally tubular and may be made of thermoplastic material. The vessel has a mouth and a lumen bounded at least in part by a wall. The wall has an inner surface interfacing with the lumen. In a preferred aspect, an at least essentially continuous barrier coating made of SiO_(x) as defined above is applied on the inner surface of the wall. The barrier coating is effective to maintain within the vessel at least 90% of its initial vacuum level, optionally 95% of its initial vacuum level, for a shelf life of at least 24 months. A closure is provided covering the mouth of the vessel and isolating the lumen of the vessel from ambient air.

The PECVD made coatings and PECVD coating methods using an organosilicon precursor described in this specification are also useful for coating catheters or cuvettes to form a barrier coating, a hydrophobic coating, a lubricity coating, or more than one of these. A cuvette is a small tube of circular or square cross section, sealed at one end, made of a polymer, glass, or fused quartz (for UV light) and designed to hold samples for spectroscopic experiments. The best cuvettes are as clear as possible, without impurities that might affect a spectroscopic reading. Like a test tube, a cuvette may be open to the atmosphere or have a cap to seal it shut. The PECVD-applied coatings of the present invention can be very thin, transparent, and optically flat, thus not interfering with optical testing of the cuvette or its contents.

(Pre)Filled Coated Vessel

A specific aspect of the invention is a coated vessel as described above which is prefilled or used for being filled with a compound or composition in its lumen. Said compound or composition may be

-   (i) a biologically active compound or composition, preferably a     medicament, more preferably insulin or a composition comprising     insulin; or -   (ii) a biological fluid, preferably a bodily fluid, more preferably     blood or a blood fraction (e.g. blood cells); or -   (iii) a compound or composition for combination with another     compound or composition directly in the vessel, e.g. a compound for     the prevention of blood clotting or platelet activation in a blood     collection tube, like citrate or a citrate containing composition.

Generally, the coated vessel of the present invention is particularly useful for collecting or storing a compound or composition which is sensitive to mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated vessel material, preferably for preventing or reducing precipitation and/or clotting or platelet activation of a compound or a component of the composition in contact with the interior surface of the vessel.

E.g., a cell preparation tube having a wall provided with a hydrophobic coating of the present invention and containing an aqueous sodium citrate reagent is suitable for collecting blood and preventing or reducing blood coagulation. The aqueous sodium citrate reagent is disposed in the lumen of the tube in an amount effective to inhibit coagulation of blood introduced into the tube.

A specific aspect of the invention is a vessel for collecting/receiving blood or a blood containing vessel. The vessel has a wall; the wall has an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface of the wall has an at least partial hydrophobic coating of the present invention. The coating can be as thin as monomolecular thickness or as thick as about 1000 nm (on average or throughout the coating). The blood collected or stored in the vessel is preferably viable for return to the vascular system of a patient disposed within the lumen in contact with the coating. The coating is effective to reduce the clotting or platelet activation of blood exposed to the inner surface, compared to the same type of wall uncoated.

Another aspect of the invention is an insulin containing vessel including a wall having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial hydrophobic coating of the present invention. The coating can be from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick (on average or throughout the coating) on the inner surface. Insulin or a composition comprising insulin is disposed within the lumen in contact with the coating. Optionally, the coating is effective to reduce the formation of a precipitate from insulin contacting the inner surface, compared to the same surface absent the coating.

A particular aspect of the invention is a prefilled syringe, e.g. a syringe prefilled with a medicament, a diagnostic compound or composition, or any other biologically of chemically active compound or composition which is intended to be dispensed using the syringe.

The present invention thus provides the following embodiments with regard to coating methods, coated products and use of said products:

1. A method for preparing a lubricity coating on a plastic substrate, the method comprising the steps

(a) providing a gas comprising an organosilicon precursor, and optionally O₂, and optionally a noble gas, in the vicinity of the substrate surface; and

(b) generating a plasma in the gas, thus forming a coating on the substrate surface by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

2. The method of (1), wherein the organosilicon precursor is a monocyclic siloxane, preferably is OMCTS.

3. The method according to any one of (1) to (2), wherein O₂ is present, preferably in a volume-volume ratio to the organosilicon precursor of from 0:1 to 0.5:1, optionally from 0.01:1 to 0.5:1.

4. The method according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein Ar is present as the noble gas.

5. The method according to any of the preceding, wherein the gas comprises from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the organosilicon precursor, from 1 to 100 standard volumes of the noble gas, and from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of O₂.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding, wherein both Ar and O₂ are present.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding wherein the plasma is generated with an electric power of from 0.1 to 25 W, preferably of from 2 to 4 W; and/or

(ii) wherein the ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume is less than 10 W/ml, preferably from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding, wherein the resulting coating has a roughness when determined by AFM and expressed as RMS of from more than 0 to 25 nm, preferably from 7 to 20 nm, optionally from 10 to 20 nm, optionally from 13 to 17 nm, optionally from 13 to 15 nm.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding, additionally comprising a step for preparing a barrier coating on the substrate before the lubricity coating is applied, the additional step comprising the steps

(a) providing a gas comprising an organosilicon precursor and O₂ in the vicinity of the substrate surface; and

(b) generating a plasma from the gas, thus forming a SiOx barrier coating on the substrate surface by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

10. The method according to (9) wherein in the step for preparing a barrier coating

(i) the plasma is generated with electrodes powered with sufficient power to form a SiOx barrier coating on the substrate surface, preferably with electrodes supplied with an electric power of from 8 to 500 W, preferably from 20 to 400 W, more preferably from 35 to 350 W, even more preferably of from 44 to 300 W, most preferably of from 44 to 70 W; and/or

(ii) the ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume is equal or more than 5 W/ml, preferably is from 6 W/ml to 150 W/ml, more preferably is from 7 W/ml to 100 W/ml, most preferably from 7 W/ml to 20 W/ml; and/or

(iii) the O₂ is present in a volume:volume ratio of from 1:1 to 100:1 in relation to the silicon containing precursor, preferably in a ratio of from 5:1 to 30:1, more preferably in a ratio of from 10:1 to 20:1, even more preferably in a ratio of 15:1.

11. The method of (9) or (10), wherein the organosilicon precursor for the barrier coating is a linear siloxane, preferably HMDSO.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding, wherein the substrate is a polymer selected from the group consisting of a polycarbonate, an olefin polymer, a cyclic olefin copolymer and a polyester, and preferably is a cyclic olefin copolymer, a polyethylene terephthalate or a polypropylene, and more preferably is COC.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding, wherein the plasma is generated with electrodes powered at a radiofrequency, preferably at 13.56 MHz.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding, wherein the resulting lubricity coating has an atomic ratio SiwOxCy or SiwNxCy wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3.

15. A coated substrate coated with a lubricity coating which is obtainable by the method according to any one of the preceding and has the characteristics has defined in any one of the preceding.

16. The coated substrate according to (15), wherein the lubricity coating has a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface, wherein preferably the frictional resistance is reduced by at least 25%, more preferably by at least 45%, even more preferably by at least 60% in comparison to the uncoated surface.

17. The coated substrate according to (15) or (16), additionally comprising at least one layer of SiOx, wherein x is from 1.5 to 2.9, wherein

(i) the lubricity coating is situated between the SiOx layer and the substrate surface or vice versa, or wherein

(ii) the lubricity coating is situated between two SiOx layers or vice versa, or wherein

(iii) the layers of SiOx and the lubricity coating are a graded composite of SiwOxCyHz to SiOx or vice versa.

18. The coated substrate according to (17), wherein the SiOx barrier coating has a thickness of from 20 to 30 nm and the lubricity coating has an average thickness of from 1 to 5000 nm, preferably of from 30 to 1000 nm, more preferably of from 80 to 150 nm.

19. The coated substrate according to any one of (15) to (18), wherein the lubricity coating

(i) has a lower wetting tension than the uncoated surface, preferably a wetting tension of from 20 to 72 dyne/cm, more preferably a wetting tension of from 30 to 60 dynes/cm, more preferably a wetting tension of from 30 to 40 dynes/cm, preferably 34 dyne/cm; and/or

(iv) is more hydrophobic than the uncoated surface.

20. A vessel coated on at least part of its interior surface, thus forming a coated substrate according to any one of (15) to (19), preferably a vessel which is

(i) a sample collection tube, in particular a blood collection tube; or

(ii) a vial; or

(iii) a syringe or a syringe part, in particular a syringe barrel or a syringe plunger or a syringe piston; or

(iv) a pipe; or

(v) a cuvette.

21. The coated vessel according to (20) which contains a compound or composition in its lumen, preferably a biologically active compound or composition or a biological fluid, more preferably (i) citrate or a citrate containing composition, (ii) a medicament, in particular insulin or an insulin containing composition, or (iii) blood or blood cells.

22. The coated vessel according to (20) or (21), which is a syringe comprising a barrel having an inner surface, a piston or plunger having an outer surface engaging the inner surface of the barrel, wherein at least one of said inner surface and outer surface is a coated substrate according to any one of (15) to (19).

23. The syringe of (22), wherein the plunger initation force Fi is from 2.5 to 5 lbs and the plunger maintenance force Fm is from 2.5 to 8 lbs.

24. The syringe of (22) or (23), wherein the lubricity coating has the atomic ratio SiwOxCy or SiwNxCy wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3.

25. The syringe of any one of (22) to (24), wherein the lubricity coating has an average thickness of from 10 to 1000 nm.

26. The syringe of any one of (22) to (25), which is in total or in one or more of its syringe parts made according to the method according to any one of (1) to (14), wherein the plastic substrate is COC, wherein the gas in step (a) comprises octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, O2 and Ar, and wherein the power for generating the plasma is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml in relation to the volume of the syringe lumen.

27. The syringe according to any one of (22) to (26), which contains a compound or composition in its lumen, preferably a biologically active compound or composition or a biological fluid, more preferably (i) citrate or a citrate containing composition, (ii) a medicament, in particular insulin or an insulin containing composition, or (iii) blood or blood cells.

28. A vessel processing system (20) for coating of a vessel (80), the system comprising a processing station arrangement (5501, 5502, 5503, 5504, 5505, 5506, 70, 72, 74) configured for performing the method of one of (1) to (14).

29. A computer-readable medium, in which a computer program for coating of a vessel (80) is stored which, when being executed by a processor of a vessel processing system (20), is adapted to instruct the processor to control the vessel processing system such that it carries out the method of one of (1) to (14).

30. A program element for coating of a vessel (80), which, when being executed by a processor of a vessel processing system (20), is adapted to instruct the processor to control the vessel processing system such that it carries out the method of one of (1) to (14).

A particular syringe barrel according to present invention which may form part of a syringe is made according to the method of (1), wherein the plastic substrate is COC, wherein the gas in step (a) comprises octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, O2 and Ar, and wherein preferably the power for generating the plasma is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, in a particular aspect from 0.8 to 1.3 W/ml in relation to the volume of the syringe lumen.

An aspect of the invention is a method of applying a coating to a substrate. The method includes providing a substrate; providing a vaporizable organosilicon precursor; and applying the precursor to the substrate by chemical vapor deposition. The precursor is applied under conditions effective to form a coating. In a preferred aspect of the invention, a gaseous reactant or process gas is employed having a standard volume ratio of from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor, from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas, and from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

Another aspect of the invention is a coating of the type made by the above process.

Another aspect of the invention is a vessel including a lumen defined by a surface defining a substrate. A coating is present on at least a portion of the substrate. The coating is made by the previously defined process.

Still another aspect of the invention is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for applying a coating to a substrate. The chemical vapor deposition apparatus includes a source of an organosilicon precursor, a source of a carrier gas, and a source of an oxidizing agent. The chemical vapor deposition apparatus still further includes one or more conduits for conveying to the substrate a gaseous reactant or process gas comprising from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor, from 5 to 100 standard volumes of the carrier gas, and from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of the oxidizing agent. The chemical vapor deposition apparatus further includes a source of microwave or radio frequency energy and an applicator powered by the source of microwave or radio frequency energy for generating plasma in the gaseous reactant or process gas.

Yet another aspect of the invention is a syringe comprising a plunger, a barrel, and a coating. The barrel is a vessel and has an interior surface defining the vessel lumen and receiving the plunger for sliding. The vessel interior surface is a substrate. The coating is a lubricity layer or coating on the substrate, the plunger, or both, applied by chemical vapor deposition, employing as the gaseous reactant or process gas from 1 to 6 standard volumes of an organosilicon precursor, from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas, and from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

Even another aspect of the invention is a plunger for a syringe, comprising a piston, a coating, and a push rod. The piston has a front face, a generally cylindrical side face comprising a substrate, and a back portion. The side face is configured to movably seat within a syringe barrel. The coating is on the substrate and is a lubricity layer or coating interfacing with the side face. The lubricity layer or coating is produced from a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process employing the previously defined gaseous reactant or process gas. The push rod engages the back portion of the piston and is configured for advancing the piston in a syringe barrel.

Another aspect of the invention is a stopper. The stopper includes a sliding surface defining a substrate and adapted to be received in an opening to be stopped. The substrate has on it a lubricity coating made by providing a precursor comprising an organosilicon compound; and applying the precursor to at least a portion of the sliding surface by chemical vapor deposition, employing a gaseous reactant or process gas as defined above.

Even another aspect of the invention is a medical or diagnostic kit including a vessel having a coating as defined in any embodiment above on a substrate as defined in any embodiment above. Optionally, the kit additionally includes a medicament or diagnostic agent which is contained in the coated vessel in contact with the coating; and/or a hypodermic needle, double-ended needle, or other delivery conduit; and/or an instruction sheet.

Other aspects of the invention include any one or more of the following:

Use of the coating according to any embodiment described above for coating a surface and thereby preventing or reducing mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface on a compound or composition in contact with the coating;

Use of the coating according to any described embodiment as a lubricity layer;

Use of the coating according to any described embodiment for protecting a compound or composition contacting the coating against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated vessel material;

Use of the coating according to any described embodiment for preventing or reducing precipitation and/or clotting or platelet activation of a compound or a component of the composition in contact with the coating.

As one option, the compound or a component of the composition is insulin, and precipitation of the insulin is prevented or reduced. As another option, the compound or a component of the composition is blood or a blood fraction, and blood clotting or platelet activation is prevented or reduced. As still another option, the coated vessel is a blood collection tube. Optionally, the blood collection tube can contain an agent for preventing blood clotting or platelet activation, for example ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a sodium salt thereof, or heparin.

Additional options for use of the invention include any one or more of the following:

Use of a coated substrate according to any described embodiment for reception and/or storage and/or delivery of a compound or composition;

The use of a coated substrate according to any described embodiment for storing insulin.

The use of a coated substrate according to any described embodiment for storing blood. Optionally, the stored blood is viable for return to the vascular system of a patient.

Use of a coating according to any described embodiment as (i) a lubricity layer or coating having a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface; and/or (ii) a hydrophobic layer or coating that is more hydrophobic than the uncoated surface.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the present disclosure and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a vessel holder in a coating station according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along section lines A-A of FIG. 1 .

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show the drawbacks of silicon oil (or any other oil) as lubricant. Non-uniformity of silicon oil occurs because it is not covalently bound to the surface and flows. A.) Silicon oil is pushed off the syringe barrel wall by the plunger following insertion of the plunger B) Silicon oil is forced out of the area between the plunger and syringe wall leading to high break loose forces. C.) Silicon oil flows over time due to gravitational forces.

FIG. 4 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view of a syringe and cap adapted for use as a prefilled syringe.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a blood collection tube assembly having a closure according to still another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section of the blood collection tube and closure assembly of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is an isolated section of an elastomeric insert of the closure of FIGS. 5 and 6 .

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment for processing syringe barrels and other vessels.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view of the processing vessel of FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is an alternative construction for a vessel holder useful with any embodiment of the invention, for example those of the other Figures.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an assembly for treating vessels. The assembly is usable with the apparatus in any of the preceding figures.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary vessel processing system.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary vessel processing system.

FIG. 14 shows a processing station of an exemplary vessel processing system.

FIG. 15 shows a portable vessel holder.

FIG. 16 shows a SEM image of Example P. The horizontal edge-to-edge scale is 5 μm.

FIG. 17 shows a SEM image of Example S. The horizontal edge-to-edge scale is 5 μm.

FIG. 18A shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on a first portion of Example Q. A 10 μm×10 μm area was imaged. A top down view of the area is shown, together with the topography differences along a first cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view. The vertical depth of the features was measured using the cross section tool. Results for the parameters measured, like RMS, Ra and Rmax are indicated in the top right box.

FIG. 18B is similar to FIG. 18A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example Q along a second cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 18C is similar to FIG. 18A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example Q along a third cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 19A is similar to FIG. 18A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example T along a first cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 19B is similar to FIG. 19A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example T along a second cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 19C is similar to FIG. 19A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example T along a third cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 20A is similar to FIG. 18A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example V along a first cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 20B is similar to FIG. 20A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example V along a second cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 20C is similar to FIG. 20A, but shows the results of the AFM imaging performed on Example V along a third cross section indicated by the line drawn in the top down view.

FIG. 21 shows a TEM image of a lubricity coating according to the invention coated on a SiO₂ barrier coating, which in turn is coated on a COC substrate.

FIG. 22 shows a TEM image of a SiO₂ barrier coating which is coated on a COC substrate.

FIG. 23 shows the meniscus made by water in a.) glass tube, b.) hydrophilic SiO₂ coated COC tube, c.) hydrophobic Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) coated COC tube, and d.) uncoated COC tube. The hydrophilic SiO₂ coated tube and borosilicate glass tube have a similar meniscus, demonstrating that the hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic SiO₂ coating is comparable to a glass surface. The hydophobic coated tube and the uncoated COC tube each have a meniscus that is expected from a hydrophobic surface.

FIG. 24 is a longitudinal section of a syringe with a staked needle.

FIGS. 25A. 25B, an 25C are fragmentary longitudinal sections of the dispensing end of an alternative syringe with a staked needle.

FIG. 26 is a longitudinal section of an alternative syringe with a staked needle.

FIG. 27 is a diagrammatic view showing a flexible diaphragm 71144 to which the needle is attached.

The following reference characters are used in the drawing figures:

20 Vessel processing system 28 Coating station 38 Vessel holder 50 Vessel holder 70 Conveyor 72 Transfer mechanism (on) 74 Transfer mechanism (off) 80 Vessel 82 Opening 84 Closed end 86 Wall 88 Interior surface 90 Barrier layer 92 Vessel port 94 Vacuum duct 96 Vacuum port 98 Vacuum source 100 O-ring (of 92) 102 O-ring (of 96) 104 Gas inlet port 106 O-ring (of 100) 108 Probe (counter electrode) 110 Gas delivery port (of 108) 114 Housing (of 50 or 112) 116 Collar 118 Exterior surface (of 80) 144 PECVD gas source 152 Pressure gauge 160 Electrode 162 Power supply 164 Sidewall (of 160) 166 Sidewall (of 160) 168 Closed end (of 160) 200 Electrode 250 Syringe barrel 252 Syringe 254 Interior surface (of 250) 256 Back end (of 250) 258 Plunger (of 252) 260 Front end (of 250) 262 Cap 264 Interior surface (of 262) 268 Vessel 270 Closure 272 Interior facing surface 274 Lumen 276 Wall-contacting surface 278 Inner surface (of 280) 280 Vessel wall 282 Stopper 284 Shield 286 Lubricity layer 288 Barrier layer 290 Apparatus for coating, for example, 250 292 Inner surface (of 294) 294 Restricted opening (of 250) 296 Processing vessel 298 Outer surface (of 250) 300 Lumen (of 250) 302 Larger opening (of 250) 304 Processing vessel lumen 306 Processing vessel opening 308 Inner electrode 310 Interior passage (of 308) 312 Proximal end (of 308) 314 Distal end (of 308) 316 Distal opening (of 308) 318 Plasma 332 First fitting (male Luer taper) 334 Second fitting (female Luer taper) 336 Locking collar (of 332) 338 First abutment (of 332) 340 Second abutment (of 332) 342 O-ring 344 Dog 408 Inner wall 410 Outer wall 482 Vessel holder body 484 Upper portion (of 482) 486 Base portion (of 482) 488 Joint (between 484 and 486) 490 O-ring 492 Annular pocket 494 Radially extending abutment surface 496 Radially extending wall 498 Screw 500 Screw 502 Vessel port 504 Second O-ring 506 Inner diameter (of 490) 508 Vacuum duct (of 482) 574 Main vacuum valve 576 Vacuum line 578 Manual bypass valve 580 Bypass line 582 Vent valve 584 Main reactant gas valve 586 Main reactant feed line 588 Organosilicon liquid reservoir 590 Organosilicon feed line (capillary) 592 Organosilicon shut-off valve 594 Oxygen tank 596 Oxygen feed line 598 Mass flow controller 600 Oxygen shut-off valve 614 Headspace 616 Pressure source 618 Pressure line 620 Capillary connection 5501 First processing station 5502 Second processing station 5503 Third processing station 5504 Fourth processing station 5505 Processor 5506 User interface 5507 Bus 5701 PECVD apparatus 5702 First detector 5703 Second detector 5704 Detector 5705 Detector 5706 Detector 5707 Detector 7001 Conveyor exit branch 7002 Conveyor exit branch 7003 Conveyor exit branch 7004 Conveyor exit branch 7120 Syringe 7122 Needle 7124 Barrel 7126 Cap 7128 Barrier coating 7130 Lubricity coating 7132 Outside surface 7134 Delivery outlet 7136 Base (of 22) 7138 Internal passage 7140 Generally cylindrical interior surface portion 7142 Generally hemispherical interior surface portion 7144 Front passage 7146 Lumen 7148 Lumen 7150 Ambient air 7152 Rim 7154 Exterior portion (of 7124) 7156 Opening 7158 Fluid 7160 Material (of 7124) 7164 Non-cylindrical portion (of 7122) 7166 Plunger 7168 Base 7170 Coupling 7172 Flexible lip seal 7174 Detent 7176 Projection 7196 Internal portion (of 7126) 7198 External portion (of 7126) 71106 Rear passage (of barrel) 71110 Tapered nose (of 7120) 71112 Tapered throat (of 7126) 71114 Collar (of syringe) 71116 Interior thread (of 71114) 71118 Dog (of 26) 71120 Dog (of 26) 71122 Syringe barrel 71124 Syringe cap 71126 (Syringe cap (flexible) 71128 Cap-syringe interface 71130 Syringe barrel 71134 Delivery outlet 71136 Base (of 22) 71140 Finger grip 71144 Flexible diaphragm

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully, inter alia with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several embodiments are shown. This invention can, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth here. Rather, these embodiments are examples of the invention, which has the full scope indicated by the language of the claims. Like numbers refer to like or corresponding elements throughout. The following disclosure relates to all embodiments unless specifically limited to a certain embodiment.

Definition Section

In the context of the present invention, the following definitions and abbreviations are used:

RF is radio frequency; sccm is standard cubic centimeters per minute.

The term “at least” in the context of the present invention means “equal or more” than the integer following the term. The word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality unless indicated otherwise. Whenever a parameter range is indicated, it is intended to disclose the parameter values given as limits of the range and all values of the parameter falling within said range.

“First” and “second” or similar references to, e.g., processing stations or processing devices refer to the minimum number of processing stations or devices that are present, but do not necessarily represent the order or total number of processing stations and devices. These terms do not limit the number of processing stations or the particular processing carried out at the respective stations.

For purposes of the present invention, an “organosilicon precursor” is a compound having at least one of the linkage:

which is a tetravalent silicon atom connected to an oxygen or nitrogen atom and an organic carbon atom (an organic carbon atom being a carbon atom bonded to at least one hydrogen atom). A volatile organosilicon precursor, defined as such a precursor that can be supplied as a vapor in a PECVD apparatus, is an optional organosilicon precursor. Optionally, the organosilicon precursor is selected from the group consisting of a linear siloxane, a monocyclic siloxane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polysilsesquioxane, an alkyl trimethoxysilane, a linear silazane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic silazane, a polysilsesquiazane, and a combination of any two or more of these precursors.

The feed amounts of PECVD precursors, gaseous reactant or process gases, and carrier gas are sometimes expressed in “standard volumes” in the specification and claims. The standard volume of a charge or other fixed amount of gas is the volume the fixed amount of the gas would occupy at a standard temperature and pressure (without regard to the actual temperature and pressure of delivery). Standard volumes can be measured using different units of volume, and still be within the scope of the present disclosure and claims. For example, the same fixed amount of gas could be expressed as the number of standard cubic centimeters, the number of standard cubic meters, or the number of standard cubic feet. Standard volumes can also be defined using different standard temperatures and pressures, and still be within the scope of the present disclosure and claims. For example, the standard temperature might be 0° C. and the standard pressure might be 760 Torr (as is conventional), or the standard temperature might be 20° C. and the standard pressure might be 1 Torr. But whatever standard is used in a given case, when comparing relative amounts of two or more different gases without specifying particular parameters, the same units of volume, standard temperature, and standard pressure are to be used relative to each gas, unless otherwise indicated.

The corresponding feed rates of PECVD precursors, gaseous reactant or process gases, and carrier gas are expressed in standard volumes per unit of time in the specification. For example, in the working examples the flow rates are expressed as standard cubic centimeters per minute, abbreviated as sccm. As with the other parameters, other units of time can be used, such as seconds or hours, but consistent parameters are to be used when comparing the flow rates of two or more gases, unless otherwise indicated.

A “vessel” in the context of the present invention can be any type of vessel with at least one opening and a wall defining an interior surface. The substrate can be the inside wall of a vessel having a lumen. Though the invention is not necessarily limited to vessels of a particular volume, vessels are contemplated in which the lumen has a void volume of from 0.5 to 50 mL, optionally from 1 to 10 mL, optionally from 0.5 to 5 mL, optionally from 1 to 3 mL. The substrate surface can be part or all of the inner surface of a vessel having at least one opening and an inner surface.

The term “at least” in the context of the present invention means “equal or more” than the integer following the term. Thus, a vessel in the context of the present invention has one or more openings. One or two openings, like the openings of a sample tube (one opening) or a syringe barrel (two openings) are preferred. If the vessel has two openings, they can be of same or different size. If there is more than one opening, one opening can be used for the gas inlet for a PECVD coating method according to the present invention, while the other openings are either capped or open. A vessel according to the present invention can be a sample tube, e.g. for collecting or storing biological fluids like blood or urine, a syringe (or a part thereof, for example a syringe barrel) for storing or delivering a biologically active compound or composition, e.g. a medicament or pharmaceutical composition, a vial for storing biological materials or biologically active compounds or compositions, a pipe, e.g. a catheter for transporting biological materials or biologically active compounds or compositions, or a cuvette for holding fluids, e.g. for holding biological materials or biologically active compounds or compositions.

A vessel can be of any shape, a vessel having a substantially cylindrical wall adjacent to at least one of its open ends being preferred. Generally, the interior wall of the vessel is cylindrically shaped, like, e.g. in a sample tube or a syringe barrel. Sample tubes and syringes or their parts (for example syringe barrels) are contemplated.

A “hydrophobic layer” in the context of the present invention means that the coating lowers the wetting tension of a surface coated with the coating, compared to the corresponding uncoated surface. Hydrophobicity is thus a function of both the uncoated substrate and the coating. The same applies with appropriate alterations for other contexts wherein the term “hydrophobic” is used. The term “hydrophilic” means the opposite, i.e. that the wetting tension is increased compared to reference sample. The present hydrophobic layers are primarily defined by their hydrophobicity and the process conditions providing hydrophobicity, and optionally can have a composition according to the empirical composition or sum formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z). It generally has an atomic ratio Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y) wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, preferably w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to 1.5, and y is from 0.9 to 2.0, more preferably w is 1, x is from 0.7 to 1.2 and y is from 0.9 to 2.0. The atomic ratio can be determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). Taking into account the H atoms, the coating may thus in one aspect have the formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), for example where w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, and z is from about 2 to about 9. Typically, the atomic ratios are Si 100:O 80-110:C 100-150 in a particular coating of present invention. Specifically, the atomic ratio may be Si 100:O 92-107:C 116-133, and such coating would hence contain 36% to 41% carbon normalized to 100% carbon plus oxygen plus silicon.

These values of w, x, y, and z are applicable to the empirical composition Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) throughout this specification. The values of w, x, y, and z used throughout this specification should be understood as ratios or an empirical formula (e.g. for a coating), rather than as a limit on the number or type of atoms in a molecule. For example, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, which has the molecular composition Si₄O₄C₈H₂₄, can be described by the following empirical formula, arrived at by dividing each of w, x, y, and z in the molecular formula by 4, the largest common factor: Si₁O₁C₂H₆. The values of w, x, y, and z are also not limited to integers. For example, (acyclic) octamethyltrisiloxane, molecular composition Si₃O₂C₈H₂₄, is reducible to Si₁O_(0.67)C_(2.67)H₈.

“Wetting tension” is a specific measure for the hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of a surface. An optional wetting tension measurement method in the context of the present invention is ASTM D 2578 or a modification of the method described in ASTM D 2578. This method uses standard wetting tension solutions (called dyne solutions) to determine the solution that comes nearest to wetting a plastic film surface for exactly two seconds. This is the film's wetting tension. The procedure utilized is varied herein from ASTM D 2578 in that the substrates are not flat plastic films, but are tubes made according to the Protocol for Forming PET Tube and (except for controls) coated according to the Protocol for Coating Tube Interior with Hydrophobic Layer or coating (see Example 9 of EP2251671 A2).

A “lubricity layer” according to the present invention is a coating which has a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface. In other words, it reduces the frictional resistance of the coated surface in comparison to a reference surface that is uncoated. The present lubricity layers are primarily defined by their lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface and the process conditions providing lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface, and optionally can have a composition according to the empirical composition Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), as defined herein. It generally has an atomic ratio Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y) wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, preferably w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to 1.5, and y is from 0.9 to 2.0, more preferably w is 1, x is from 0.7 to 1.2 and y is from 0.9 to 2.0. The atomic ratio can be determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). Taking into account the H atoms, the coating may thus in one aspect have the formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), for example where w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, and z is from about 2 to about 9. Typically, the atomic ratios are Si 100:O 80-110:C 100-150 in a particular coating of present invention. Specifically, the atomic ratio may be Si 100:O 92-107:C 116-133, and such coating would hence contain 36% to 41% carbon normalized to 100% carbon plus oxygen plus silicon.

“Frictional resistance” can be static frictional resistance and/or kinetic frictional resistance.

One of the optional embodiments of the present invention is a syringe part, e.g. a syringe barrel or plunger, coated with a lubricity layer. In this contemplated embodiment, the relevant static frictional resistance in the context of the present invention is the breakout force as defined herein, and the relevant kinetic frictional resistance in the context of the present invention is the plunger sliding force as defined herein. For example, the plunger sliding force as defined and determined herein is suitable to determine the presence or absence and the lubricity characteristics of a lubricity layer or coating in the context of the present invention whenever the coating is applied to any syringe or syringe part, for example to the inner wall of a syringe barrel. The breakout force is of particular relevance for evaluation of the coating effect on a prefilled syringe, i.e. a syringe which is filled after coating and can be stored for some time, e.g. several months or even years, before the plunger is moved again (has to be “broken out”).

The “plunger sliding force” (synonym to “glide force”, “maintenance force”, Fm, also used in this description) in the context of the present invention is the force required to maintain movement of a plunger in a syringe barrel, e.g. during aspiration or dispense. It can advantageously be determined using the ISO 7886-1:1993 test described herein and known in the art. A synonym for “plunger sliding force” often used in the art is “plunger force” or “pushing force”.

The “plunger breakout force” (synonym to “breakout force”, “break loose force”, “initation force”, Fi, also used in this description) in the context of the present invention is the initial force required to move the plunger in a syringe, for example in a prefilled syringe.

Both “plunger sliding force” and “plunger breakout force” and methods for their measurement are described in more detail in subsequent parts of this description. These two forces can be expressed in N, lbs or kg and all three units are used herein. These units correlate as follows: 1N=0.102 kg=0.2248 lbs (pounds).

Sliding force and breakout force are sometimes used herein to describe the forces required to advance a stopper or other closure into a vessel, such as a medical sample tube or a vial, to seat the stopper in a vessel to close the vessel. Its use is analogous to use in the context of a syringe and its plunger, and the measurement of these forces for a vessel and its closure are contemplated to be analogous to the measurement of these forces for a syringe, except that at least in most cases no liquid is ejected from a vessel when advancing the closure to a seated position.

“Slidably” means that the plunger, closure, or other removable part is permitted to slide in a syringe barrel or other vessel.

In the context of this invention, “substantially rigid” means that the assembled components (ports, duct, and housing, explained further below) can be moved as a unit by handling the housing, without significant displacement of any of the assembled components respecting the others. Specifically, none of the components are connected by hoses or the like that allow substantial relative movement among the parts in normal use. The provision of a substantially rigid relation of these parts allows the location of the vessel seated on the vessel holder to be nearly as well known and precise as the locations of these parts secured to the housing.

Description Section

An embodiment of the present invention is a method of applying a coating such as 90 to a substrate such as the vessel 80 (FIG. 1 ), the vessel 268 (FIG. 6 ), the stopper 282 (FIGS. 6-7 ), or the syringe 252 (FIG. 4 ). The method can be used with any disclosed embodiment. The method includes providing a substrate, for example any of those mentioned above; providing a vaporizable organosilicon precursor, for example any of those disclosed in this specification; and applying the precursor to the substrate by chemical vapor deposition. The precursor is applied, for example in the apparatus of FIG. 2 , 26, of the EP applications cited in paragraph [002], or of any other embodiment, under conditions effective to form a coating.

A gaseous reactant or process gas can be employed having a standard volume ratio of, for example when a lubricity coating is prepared:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes, optionally from 2 to 4 standard         volumes, optionally equal to or less than 6 standard volumes,         optionally equal to or less than 2.5 standard volumes,         optionally equal to or less than 1.5 standard volumes,         optionally equal to or less than 1.25 standard volumes of the         precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes, optionally from 5 to 100         standard volumes, optionally from 10 to 70 standard volumes, of         a carrier gas;     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes, optionally from 0.2 to 1.5         standard volumes, optionally from 0.2 to 1 standard volumes,         optionally from 0.5 to 1.5 standard volumes, optionally from 0.8         to 1.2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

Another embodiment is a coating, for example 286 in FIG. 7 or a comparable coating in any embodiment, of the type made by the above process.

Another embodiment is a vessel such as the vessel 80 (FIG. 1 ), the vessel 268 (FIG. 6 ), or the syringe 252 (FIG. 4 ) including a lumen defined by a surface defining a substrate. A coating is present on at least a portion of the substrate. The coating is made by the previously defined process.

Still another embodiment is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus such as the apparatus 28 illustrated in FIG. 11 (or any other illustrated coating apparatus, such as the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, 2, 8, 10 , or 12-15), for applying a coating to a substrate.

FIG. 12 shows a vessel processing system 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The vessel processing system 20 comprises, inter alia, a first processing station 5501 and may or may not also comprise a second processing station 5502. An example for such processing stations is for example depicted in FIG. 1 , reference numeral 28.

The first vessel processing station 5501 contains a vessel holder 38 which holds a seated vessel 80. Although FIG. 12 depicts a blood tube 80, the vessel may also be a syringe body, a vial, a catheter or, for example, a pipette. The vessel may, for example, be made of glass or plastic. In case of plastic vessels, the first processing station may also comprise a mould for moulding the plastic vessel.

After the first processing at the first processing station (which processing may comprise moulding of the vessel, a first inspection of the vessel for defects, coating of the interior surface of the vessel and a second inspection of the vessel for defects, in particular of the interior coating), the vessel holder 38 may be transported together with the vessel 82 to the second vessel processing station 5502. This transportation is performed by a conveyor arrangement 70, 72, 74. For example, a gripper or several grippers may be provided for gripping the vessel holder 38 and/or the vessel 80 in order to move the vessel/holder combination to the next processing station 5502. Alternatively, only the vessel may be moved without the holder. However, it may be advantageous to move the holder together with the vessel in which case the holder is adapted such that it can be transported by the conveyor arrangement.

FIG. 13 shows a vessel processing system 20 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Again, two vessel processing stations 5501, 5502 are provided. Furthermore, additional vessel processing stations 5503, 5504 may be provided which are arranged in series and in which the vessel can be processed, i.e. inspected and/or coated.

A vessel can be moved from a stock to the left processing station 5504. Alternatively, the vessel can be moulded in the first processing station 5504. In any case, a first vessel processing is performed in the processing station 5504, such as a moulding, an inspection and/or a coating, which may be followed by a second inspection. Then, the vessel is moved to the next processing station 5501 via the conveyor arrangement 70, 72, 74. Typically, the vessel is moved together with the vessel holder. A second processing is performed in the second processing station 5501 after which the vessel and holder are moved to the next processing station 5502 in which a third processing is performed. The vessel is then moved (again together with the holder) to the fourth processing station 5503 for a fourth processing, after which it is conveyed to a storage.

Before and after each coating step or moulding step or any other step which manipulates the vessel an inspection of the whole vessel, of part of the vessel and in particular of an interior surface of the vessel may be performed. The result of each inspection can be transferred to a central processing unit 5505 via a data bus 5507. Each processing station is connected to the data bus 5507. The above described program element may run on the processor 5505, and the processor, which may be adapted in form of a central control and regulation unit, controls the system and may also be adapted to process the inspection data, to analyze the data and to determine whether the last processing step was successful.

If it is determined that the last processing step was not successful, because for example the coating comprises holes or because the surface of the coating is determined to be regular or not smooth enough, the vessel does not enter the next processing station but is either removed from the production process (see conveyor sections 7001, 7002, 7003, 7004) or conveyed back in order to become re-processed.

The processor 5505 may be connected to a user interface 5506 for inputting control or regulation parameters.

FIG. 14 shows a vessel processing station 5501 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The station comprises a PECVD apparatus 5701 for coating an interior surface of the vessel. Furthermore, several detectors 5702-5707 may be provided for vessel inspection. Such detectors may for example be electrodes for performing electric measurements, optical detectors, like CCD cameras, gas detectors or pressure detectors.

FIG. 15 shows a vessel holder 38 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, together with several detectors 5702, 5703, 5704 and an electrode with gas inlet port 108, 110.

The electrode and the detector 5702 may be adapted to be moved into the interior space of the vessel 80 when the vessel is seated on the holder 38.

The optical inspection may be particularly performed during a coating step, for example with the help of optical detectors 5703, 5704 which are arranged outside the seated vessel 80 or even with the help of an optical detector 5705 arranged inside the interior space of the vessel 80.

The detectors may comprise colour filters such that different wavelengths can be detected during the coating process. The processing unit 5505 analyzes the optical data and determines whether the coating was successful or not to a predetermined level of certainty. If it is determined that the coating was most probably unsuccessful, the respective vessel is separated from the processing system or re-processed.

Referring now to FIG. 11 , the chemical vapor deposition apparatus includes a source of an organosilicon precursor such as the reservoir 588, a source of a carrier gas such as 602, and a source of an oxidizing agent such as 594. The chemical vapor deposition apparatus still further includes one or more conduits, such as the conduits 108, 586, 590, 604, and 596, for conveying to the substrate a gaseous reactant or process gas comprising from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor, from 5 to 100 standard volumes of the carrier gas, and from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of the oxidizing agent. The chemical vapor deposition apparatus further includes a source 162 of microwave or radio frequency energy and an applicator or electrode such as 160 powered by the source of microwave or radio frequency energy for generating plasma in the gaseous reactant or process gas.

Yet another embodiment is a syringe such as 252 comprising a plunger 258, a barrel 250, and a coating on the interior surface 264. The barrel 250 is a vessel and has an interior surface 264 defining the vessel lumen 274 and receiving the plunger 258 for sliding. The vessel interior surface 264 is a substrate. The coating is a lubricity layer on the substrate 264, the plunger 258, or both, applied by chemical vapor deposition, employing as the gaseous reactant or process gas from 1 to 6 standard volumes of an organosilicon precursor, from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas, and from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent. In addition to this lubricity coating, the syringe may contain one or more other coatings, e.g. a SiO_(x) barrier coating as described herein. Said additional coating(s) may be located under or over the lubricity coating, i.e. nearer to the coated substrate or nearer to the lumen of the syringe.

A concern of converting from glass to plastic syringes centers around the potential for leachable materials from plastics. With plasma coating technology, the coating, being derived from non-metal gaseous precursors e.g. HMDSO, will itself contain no trace metals and function as a barrier to inorganic, metals and organic solutes, preventing leaching of these species from the coated substrate into syringe fluids. In addition to leaching control of plastic syringes, the same plasma coating technology offers potential to provide a solute barrier to the plunger tip, typically made of elastomeric plastic compositions containing even higher levels of leachable organic oligomers and catalysts.

Moreover, certain syringes prefilled with synthetic and biological pharmaceutical formulations are very oxygen and moisture sensitive. A critical factor in the conversion from glass to plastic syringe barrels will be the improvement of plastic oxygen and moisture barrier performance. The plasma coating technology is suitable to provide a SiO_(x) barrier coating for protection against oxygen and moisture.

Even another embodiment is a plunger 258 for a syringe 252, comprising a piston or tip, a coating, and a push rod. The piston or tip has a front face, a generally cylindrical side face that slides within the barrel 250, comprising a substrate, and a back portion. The side face is configured to movably seat within a syringe barrel. The coating is on the substrate and is a lubricity layer interfacing with the side face. The lubricity layer is produced from a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process employing the previously defined gaseous reactant or process gas. The push rod engages the back portion of the piston and is configured for advancing the piston in a syringe barrel.

Another embodiment is a stopper such as 282 (FIGS. 6-7 ). The stopper 282 includes a sliding surface 276 defining a substrate and adapted to be received in an opening to be stopped. The substrate has on it a lubricity coating 288 made by providing a precursor comprising an organosilicon compound and applying the precursor to at least a portion of the sliding surface by chemical vapor deposition, employing a gaseous reactant or process gas as defined above.

Even another embodiment is a medical or diagnostic kit including a vessel having a coating as defined in any embodiment above on a substrate as defined in any embodiment above. Optionally, the kit additionally includes a medicament or diagnostic agent which is contained in the coated vessel in contact with the coating; and/or a hypodermic needle, double-ended needle, or other delivery conduit; and/or an instruction sheet.

Other aspects of the invention include any one or more of the following:

Use of the coating according to any embodiment described above for coating a surface and thereby preventing or reducing mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface on a compound or composition in contact with the coating;

Use of the coating according to any described embodiment as a lubricity layer;

Use of the coating according to any described embodiment for protecting a compound or composition contacting the coating against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated vessel material;

Use of the coating according to any described embodiment for preventing or reducing precipitation and/or clotting or platelet activation of a compound or a component of the composition in contact with the coating.

As one option, the compound or a component of the composition is insulin, and precipitation of the insulin is prevented or reduced. As another option, the compound or a component of the composition is blood or a blood fraction, and blood clotting or platelet activation is prevented or reduced. As still another option, the coated vessel is a blood collection tube. Optionally, the blood collection tube can contain an agent for preventing blood clotting or platelet activation, for example ethylenediamineteetraacetic acid (EDTA), a sodium salt thereof, or heparin.

Additional options for use of the invention include any one or more of the following:

Use of a coated substrate according to any described embodiment, for example a vessel such as a sample collection tube, for example a blood collection tube and/or a closed-ended sample collection tube; a vial; a conduit; a cuvette; or a vessel part, for example a stopper; or a syringe, or a syringe part, for example a barrel or piston. for reception and/or storage and/or delivery of a compound or composition.

The use of a coated substrate according to any described embodiment is contemplated for storing insulin.

The use of a coated substrate according to any described embodiment is contemplated for storing blood. Optionally, the stored blood is viable for return to the vascular system of a patient.

Use of a coating according to any described embodiment is contemplated as (i) a lubricity layer having a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface; and/or (ii) a hydrophobic layer that is more hydrophobic than the uncoated surface.

Other aspects of the invention include any of the uses defined above in the summary section.

The following is a more detailed description of the invention. It starts with a general description of the lubricity coating and hydrophobic coating of present invention, then describes the equipment suitable to prepare the coating of present invention and subsequently describes the coating embodiments, the coated vessels, and the methods for their production.

IA. Lubricity Coating

Devices designed to deliver parenteral drug products have moveable elastomeric plungers to push the product from the device. Plungers often are provided with a lubricious surface to ease movement of the plunger. Free silicon oil is traditionally employed to create a lubricious surface, but free oil has been implicated in aggregation and denaturation of proteins.

Silicon oil, a low molecular weight polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), has been the primary traditional means of making glass and plastic surfaces lubricious and compatible with elastomeric plungers. It is generally sprayed or wiped on the inside of the device. These methods deposit a thin liquid layer of silicon oil. Attempts to permanently adhere the oil on the surface of the device through a baking process have improved the adhesion but silicon oil extractables are still found. Non-uniformity of silicon oil on devices is problematic and can lead to syringe breakage or misfiring when employed in auto injectors.

Non-uniformity of silicon oil arises from improper or poor application of the oil, settling/flow over time under the effects of gravity, and pressure from plungers. During vacuum placement of plungers into the device, the plunger will push silicon oil from the top of the device down to the final resting location of the plunger, See FIG. 3A. The silicon oil between the ribs of the plunger and the glass surface of the device will, over time, flow out of the space between the plunger and syringe wall under the pressure of the plunger. Additionally it has been found that silicon oil “settles” or flows under gravity to alter the distribution of the oil. FIGS. 3A-3C demonstrate examples of silicon oil non-uniformity.

Non uniformity of silicon oil is responsible for a variety of problems, including localized exposure of drug product to a large depot of oil, high break loose forces, and unsmooth operation of the devices due to variable glide forces. Variable glide forces and high break loose forces are particularly problematic with auto injectors, since auto injectors are designed to work with a known and consistent force.

The lubricity coating of present invention is created from a plasma that produces a uniform, firmly attached lubricious coating. It has a superior performance relative to existing lubricity approaches, comparing wetting tension, plunger force, and extractables and leachables.

The lubricity coating of the invention is deposited using a PECVD process that typically utilizes an organosilicon precursor (preferably a cyclic organosilicon precursor, in particular octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS)), oxygen, radiofrequency and charged electrodes to create the plasma. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that at the pressures and powers that are used, the plasma process is driven by electron impact ionization; that is, the electrons in the process are the driving force behind the chemistry. The process utilizes radiofrequency to excite electrons, resulting in lower temperatures than the other standard method of adding energy to electrons in plasmas, microwaves. The plasma, containing a mixture of high energy electrons and ions of the gases, deposits a coating containing silicon and oxygen and methyl groups attached to the silicon. High energy electrons activate the substrate surface and bonds reform between the surface and the silicon/oxygen/methyl species from the OMCTS. A covalently bound uniform, continuous coating is deposited on the surface.

Since the coating is deposited from plasma, which uniformly fills the container it occupies, at a molecular level, a uniform composition coat is believed to be achieved. The lubricity coating is essentially comprised of silicon, oxygen and methyl groups. AFM, FTIR, TOF/SIMS, XPS and scanning electron microscopy confirm the purity and uniformity.

TABLE I Lubricity Coating on Syringes Wetting Tension Standard Package Type (dyne/cm) Deviation Cyclic Olefin Syringe with CV Holdings 36 0.57 SiOxCyHz Lubricity Coating Borosilicate Glass Syringe with 37 0.57 Silicone Oil Cyclic Olefin Container with Triboglide <30 N/A Coating

Precision of the wetting tension measurement is +/−3 dyne/cm

Table I, above, shows the wetting tension measured a COC syringe with SiOxCyHz lubricity coating, a borosilicate glass syringe coated with silicon oil (Dow Corning Medical Grade 360), and a COC container with Triboglide Coating (another known liquid lubricant). A wetting tension of 30 dyne/cm is considered very hydrophobic, a wetting tension of 70 dyne/cm very hydrophilic. All three surfaces therefore show appreciable hydrophobicity. The lubricity coating of the invention shows a hydrophobicity similar to silicon oil, but less than Triboglide.

The lubricity coating of present invention can also be applied onto a SiO_(x) barrier coating. This is shown in FIG. 21 , which contains a TEM picture of a lubricity coating on a SiO₂ layer,

The determination of an extractables profile for an exemplary lubricity coating is described in Example Z. The lubricity coating preferably provides less extractables than a silicon oil coated glass syringe (Example Z), typically less than 10% of the extractables of the latter. In general, the lubricity coating extractables amount ranges from 1 to 500 μg/L, preferably from 5 to 300 μg/L. Typically, it may range from 80 to 300 μg/L, based on the static method of determination.

Since the lubricity coating is attached to the coated surface, the coating will remain uniform over time and consistent, reproducible break loose and glide forces will be maintained. Exemplary break loose and glide forces are shown in Table II:

TABLE II Plunger Force Comparison of Lubricity Coatings Initiation Maintenance Package Type Force (N) Force (N) Uncoated Cydic Olefin Syringe >15 >15 Cydic Olefin Syringe with CV Holdings 4.1 3.5 SiOCH Lubricity Coating Cydic Olefin Syringe with Silicone Oil 8.2 6.3 Cydic Olefin Cotainer with Triboglide 5.7 2.0 Coating

The lubricity coating optionally provides a consistent plunger force that reduces the difference between the break loose force (Fi) and the glide force (Fm). These two forces are important performance measures for the effectiveness of a lubricity coating. For Fi and Fm, it is desired to have a low, but not too low value. With too low Fi, which means a too low level of resistance (the extreme being zero), premature/unintended flow may occur, which might e.g. lead to an unintentional premature or uncontrolled discharge of the content of a prefilled syringe.

In order to achieve a sufficient lubricity (e.g. to ensure that a syringe plunger can be moved in the syringe, but to avoid uncontrolled movement of the plunger), the following ranges of Fi and Fm should be advantageously maintained: Fi: 2.5 to 5 lbs, preferably 2.7 to 4.9 lbs, and in particular 2.9 to 4.7 lbs; Fm: 2.5 to 8.0 lbs, preferably 3.3 to 7.6 lbs, and in particular 3.3 to 4 lbs. Further advantageous Fi and Fm values can be found in the Tables of the Examples. From the Examples, it can also be seen that lower Fi and Fm values can be achieved than the ranges indicated above. Coatings having such lower values are also considered to be encompassed by the present invention.

Table II compares a lubricity coating according to the invention on a syringe with silicon oil and Triboglide lubricity coatings. The results demonstrate that the lubricity coating preferably provides superior consistency between Fi and Fm.

Break-loose and glide forces are important throughout a device's shelf life especially in automated devices such as auto-injectors. Changes in break-loose and/or glide forces can lead to misfiring of auto injectors.

The present lubricity coatings can optionally have more than 10-times less silicon extractables compared to a silicon oil coated syringe. During the PECVD process, the lubricity coating is bonded to the syringe. This results in dramatically lower extractables. Through process optimization, the total silicon extractables from the lubricity coating can be further reduced.

The lubricity coating according to present invention is typically prepared by PECVD using an organosilicon precursor and O2. In a particular embodiment, these two precursors are mixed with a carrier gas, typically a noble gas, and most typically Argon.

The organosilicon precursor may be any of the precursors listed elsewhere in present description. However, cyclic organosilicon precursors, in particular monocyclic organosilicon precursors (like the monocyclic precursors listed elsewhere in present description), and specifically OMCTS, are particularly suitable to achieve a lubricious coating.

The presence of O2 and/or of a carrier gas, in particular of Argon, can increase the lubricity of the resulting coating. The presence of both O2 and Ar together with the organosilicon precursor is particularly advantageous. Generally, in order to get a lubricity coating, O2 is present in an amount (which can, e.g. be expressed by the flow rate in sccm) which is does not very much exceed the organosilicon amount and preferably is lower than the organosilicon amount. In contrast, in order to achieve a barrier coating, the amount of O2 typically is at least one order of magnitude higher than the amount of organosilicon precursor. In particular, the volume ratio (in sccm) of O2 to organosilicon precursor for a lubricity coating is from 0:1 to 1:1, even optionally from 0:1 to 0.5:1 or even from 0:1 to 0.1:1. It is preferred that some O2 is present, optionally in an amount of from 0.01:1 to 0.5:1, even optionally from 0.05:1 to 0.4:1, in particular from 0.1:1 to 0.2:1 in relation to the organosilicon precursor. The presence of O2 in a volume of about 5% to about 35% (v/v in sccm) in relation to the organosilicon precursor, in particular of about 10% to about 20% and in a ratio as given in the Examples is specifically suitable to achieve a lubricity coating.

In one aspect of the invention, a carrier gas is absent in the reaction mixture, in another aspect of the invention, it is present. In a particular aspect of the invention, the carrier gas is present and it is Argon. When Ar is the carrier gas and it is present in the reaction mixture, it is typically present in a volume (in sccm) exceeding the volume of the organosilicon precursor (and the volume of O₂, if present).

Typically, the plasma in the PECVD process is generated at RF frequency. The plasma is typically generated with an electric power of from 0.1 to 25 W, optionally from 1 to 22 W, optionally from 1 to 10 W, even optionally from 1 to 5 W, optionally from 2 to 4 W, for example of 3 W, optionally from 3 to 17 W, even optionally from 5 to 14 W, for example 6 or 7.5 W, optionally from 7 to 11 W, for example of 8 W. The ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume can be less than 10 W/ml, optionally is from 5 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 4 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally from 2 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml. Low power levels are believed by the inventors to be most advantageous (e.g. power levels of from 2 to 3.5 W and the power levels given in the Examples) to prepare a lubricity coating. These power levels are suitable for applying lubricity coatings to syringes and sample tubes and vessels of similar geometry having a void volume of 1 to 3 mL in which PECVD plasma is generated. It is contemplated that for larger or smaller objects the power applied should be increased or reduced accordingly to scale the process to the size of the substrate.

The substrate of the lubricity coating is typically a surface made of plastic (e.g. the interior surface of a plastic syringe). Typical plastic substrates are listed elsewhere in present description. Particularly suitable substrates in the context of present invention are COC, PET, and polypropylene, with COC being specifically suitable.

In one specific aspect of present invention, the substrate is a plastic which is already coated with a coating, e.g. a SiOx barrier coating. On said existing coating, the lubricity coating is applied. Vice versa, the lubricity coating can also be coated with another coating, e.g. a barrier coating.

In a very particular aspect of the present invention, the lubricity is influenced by the roughness of the lubricity coating. It has surprisingly been found that a rough surface of the coating is correlated with enhanced lubricity. The roughness of the lubricity coating is increased with decreasing power (in Watts) energizing the plasma, and by the presence of O2 in the amounts described above.

The vessels (e.g. syringe barrels and/or plungers) coated with a lubricity coating according to present invention have a higher lubricity (determined, e.g. by measuring the Fi and/or Fm) than the uncoated vessels. They also have a higher lubricity than vessels coated with a SiOx coating as described herein.

Exemplary reaction conditions for preparing a lubricity coating according to the present invention in a 3 ml sample size syringe with a ⅛″ diameter tube (open at the end) are as follows:

-   Flow rate ranges: -   OMCTS: 0.5-5.0 sccm -   Oxygen: 0.1-5.0 sccm -   Argon: 1.0-20 sccm -   Power: 0.1-10 watts -   Specific Flow rates: -   OMCTS: 2.0 sccm -   Oxygen: 0.7 sccm -   Argon: 7.0 sccm -   Power: 3.5 watts

The coating apparatus can advantageously include heated delivery lines from the exit of the OMCTS reservoir to as close as possible to the gas inlet into the syringe.

The lubricity coating is described in more detail under V.C below.

IB. Hydrophobic Coating

Silicon, like carbon, is tetravalent, thus preferring to form four bonds. In glass, silicon bonds to oxygen, which is bonded to another silicon (siloxane bonds, Si—O—Si), resulting in a SiO₂ polymer. A network of siloxane bonds form, creating silica. At the surface of silica, oxygen atoms that are not bonded to other silicon atoms exist as hydroxyl (OH) groups, known as silanols. Terminal groups at a glass surface can thus be silanols with one or more OH groups, or siloxane bonds. Lone silanols are found in crystalline silica surfaces such as the SiO_(x) coating described herein. Both lone and vicinal silanols are found in amorphous silicas such as traditional glasses. Without being bound by theory, the chemical nature of the surface chemistry is believed to be largely determined by the density of silanol groups on it. A fully hydroxylated glass surface, that has the maximum density of silanols possible, is quite hydrophilic. A surface on which the silanols are condensed to form siloxane bonds, (i.e., minimal density of silanols) has a hydrophobic nature. Using the coating technologies as described herein, it is possible to control the density of silanols on the surface of the coating. The chemistry of the plasma deposition can be controlled to create either a fully hydroxylated, hydrophilic surface or a minimally hydroxylated, hydrophobic surface.

Table III, below, shows the wetting tension of four different drug container surfaces. A wetting tension of 20 dyne/cm is considered very hydrophobic, while a wetting tension of 80 dyne/cm is very hydrophilic. The data in Table III shows the SiO₂ barrier coating is as hydrophilic as traditional glass. In contrast, the lubricity coating of present invention (designated as SiOxCyHz Coating in the table) has a hydrophobic nature similar to that of COC.

TABLE III Content Contact Surfaces Wetting Tension Package Type (dyne/cm) Cyclic Olefin Container with SiO₂ Coating >70 Borosilicate Glass Container >70 Cyclic Olefin Container with SiOxCyHz Coating 46 Uncoated Cyclic Olefin Container 36

Precision of the wetting tension measurement was +/−3 dyne/cm

“Hydrophobic” in the context of present invention may mean more hydrophobic than the uncoated substrate (may it be plastic or another coating). However, as is demonstrated in FIG. 23 , it can also mean that the surface is as hydrophobic as a comparative hydrophobic surface (like the COC surface in FIG. 23 d ). Preferably, “hydrophobic” means a wetting tension of less than 60 dyne/cm, more preferably less than 50 dyne/cm, in particular a wetting tension of from 15 dyne/cm to 46 dyne/cm or from 20 dyne/cm to 35 dyne/cm.

The PECVD conditions for a hydrophobic surface coating are contemplated to be similar to those for a lubricity coating, and in fact it is possible that one coating can provide both functions to a useful degree.

The difference in conditions to apply a hydrophobic coating to an SiOx coating is illustrated by comparing a SiOx coating protocol (US2010/0298738 A1, par. 1000 to 1011) with a hydrophobic coating protocol (US2010/0298738 A1, par. 1012 to 1023). The equipment and the precursor (HMDSO) are the same in these two protocols, but the conditions are different, and generally milder for the hydrophobic coating, as illustrated by the exemplary conditions below:

Parameter SiO_(x) Protocol Hydrophobic Protocol O₂ flow rate 90 sccm 60 sccm Pressure within tube 300 mTorr 270 mTorr during gas delivery PECVD RF Power 50 Watts 39 Watts Power on time 5 sec 7 sec

An advantageous feature of the hydrophobic coating is that it optionally can be applied using the same equipment as the SiOx coating and/or the lubricity coating, so all PECVD coatings can be applied sequentially in a single process, with minor changes in conditions.

The hydrophobic coating can have a lower wetting tension than the uncoated surface, optionally a wetting tension of from 20 to 72 dyne/cm, optionally from 30 to 60 dyne/cm, optionally from 30 to 50 dyne/cm, 30 to 40 dyne/cm, optionally 34 dyne/cm. One proposed wetting tension, namely 34 dyne/cm, is similar to that of a fluid silicone coating on borosilicate glass (30 dynes/cm).

FIG. 23 shows the effect of a hydrophobic coating according to present invention and of a hydrophilic coating according to present invention.

II. Vessel Holders

II.A. For producing the coating of present invention, a vessel holder is provided. The portable vessel holders 38, 50, and 482 are provided for holding and conveying a vessel having an opening while the vessel is processed. The vessel holder includes a vessel port, a second port, a duct, and a conveyable housing.

II.A. The vessel port is configured to seat a vessel opening in a mutually communicating relation. The second port is configured to receive an outside gas supply or vent. The duct is configured for passing one or more gases between a vessel opening seated on the vessel port and the second port. The vessel port, second port, and duct are attached in substantially rigid relation to the conveyable housing. Optionally, the portable vessel holder weighs less than five pounds. An advantage of a lightweight vessel holder is that it can more readily be transported from one processing station to another.

II.A. In certain embodiments of the vessel holder the duct more specifically is a vacuum duct and the second port more specifically is a vacuum port. The vacuum duct is configured for withdrawing a gas via the vessel port from a vessel seated on the vessel port. The vacuum port is configured for communicating between the vacuum duct and an outside source of vacuum. The vessel port, vacuum duct, and vacuum port can be attached in substantially rigid relation to the conveyable housing.

II.A. The vessel holders are shown, for example, in FIG. 1 . The vessel holder 50 has a vessel port 82 configured to receive and seat the opening of a vessel 80. The interior surface of a seated vessel 80 can be processed via the vessel port 82. The vessel holder 50 can include a duct, for example a vacuum duct 94, for withdrawing a gas from a vessel 80 seated on the vessel port 92. The vessel holder can include a second port, for example a vacuum port 96 communicating between the vacuum duct 94 and an outside source of vacuum, such as the vacuum pump 98. The vessel port 92 and vacuum port 96 can have sealing elements, for example O-ring butt seals, respectively 100 and 102, or side seals between an inner or outer cylindrical wall of the vessel port 82 and an inner or outer cylindrical wall of the vessel 80 to receive and form a seal with the vessel 80 or outside source of vacuum 98 while allowing communication through the port. Gaskets or other sealing arrangements can or also be used.

II.A. The vessel holder such as 50 can be made of any material, for example thermoplastic material and/or electrically nonconductive material. Or, the vessel holder such as 50 can be made partially, or even primarily, of electrically conductive material and faced with electrically nonconductive material, for example in the passages defined by the vessel port 92, vacuum duct 94, and vacuum port 96. Examples of suitable materials for the vessel holder 50 are: a polyacetal, for example Delrin® acetal material sold by E. I. du Pont De Nemours and Company, Wilmington Del.; polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), for example Teflon® PTFE sold by E. I. du Pont De Nemours and Company, Wilmington Del.; Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE); High density Polyethylene (HDPE); or other materials known in the art or newly discovered.

II.A. FIG. 1 also illustrates that the vessel holder, for example 50, can have a collar 116 for centering the vessel 80 when it is approaching or seated on the port 92.

FIG. 10 is an alternative construction for a vessel holder 482 usable, for example, with the embodiments of any other Figure. The vessel holder 482 comprises an upper portion 484 and a base 486 joined together at a joint 488. A sealing element, for example an O-ring 490 (the right side of which is cut away to allow the pocket retaining it to be described) is captured between the upper portion 484 and the base 486 at the joint 488. In the illustrated embodiment, the O-ring 490 is received in an annular pocket 492 to locate the O-ring when the upper portion 484 is joined to the base 486.

II.B. In this embodiment, the O-ring 490 is captured and bears against a radially extending abutment surface 494 and the radially extending wall 496 partially defining the pocket 492 when the upper portion 484 and the base 486 are joined, in this case by the screws 498 and 500. The O-ring 490 thus seats between the upper portion 484 and base 486. The O-ring 490 captured between the upper portion 484 and the base 486 also receives the vessel 80 (removed in this figure for clarity of illustration of other features) and forms a first O-ring seal of the vessel port 502 about the vessel 80 opening, analogous to the O-ring seal arrangement about the vessel back opening.

II.B. In this embodiment, though not a requirement, the vessel port 502 has both the first O-ring 490 seal and a second axially spaced O-ring 504 seal, each having an inner diameter such as 506 sized to receive the outer diameter (analogous to the sidewall) of a vessel such as 80 for sealing between the vessel port 502 and a vessel such as 80. The spacing between the O-rings 490 and 504 provides support for a vessel such as 80 at two axially spaced points, preventing the vessel such as 80 from being skewed with respect to the O-rings 490 and 504 or the vessel port 502. In this embodiment, though not a requirement, the radially extending abutment surface 494 is located proximal of the O-ring 490 and 506 seals and surrounding the vacuum duct 508.

III. Processing Vessels Seated on Vessel Holders

III.A. FIG. 1 shows a method for processing a vessel 80. The method can be carried out as follows.

III.A. A vessel 80 can be provided having an opening 82 and a wall 86 defining an interior surface 88. As one embodiment, the vessel 80 can be formed in and then removed from a mold such as 22. Optionally within 60 seconds, or within 30 seconds, or within 25 seconds, or within 20 seconds, or within 15 seconds, or within 10 seconds, or within 5 seconds, or within 3 seconds, or within 1 second after removing the vessel from the mold, or as soon as the vessel 80 can be moved without distorting it during processing (assuming that it is made at an elevated temperature, from which it progressively cools), the vessel opening 82 can be seated on the vessel port 92. Quickly moving the vessel 80 from the mold 22 to the vessel port 92 reduces the dust or other impurities that can reach the surface 88 and occlude or prevent adhesion of the barrier or other type of coating 90. Also, the sooner a vacuum is drawn on the vessel 80 after it is made, the less chance any particulate impurities have of adhering to the interior surface 88.

III.A. A vessel holder such as 50 comprising a vessel port 92 can be provided. The opening 82 of the vessel 80 can be seated on the vessel port 92. Before, during, or after seating the opening 82 of the vessel 80 on the vessel port 92, the vessel holder such as 40 can be transported into engagement with one or more of the bearing surfaces 220-240 to position the vessel holder 40 with respect to the processing device or station such as 24.

III.A. The interior surface 88 of the seated vessel 80 can be then processed via the vessel port 92 at the first processing station, which can be, as one example, the barrier application or other type of coating station 28 shown in FIG. 1 . The vessel holder 50 and seated vessel 80 are transported from the first processing station 28 to the second processing station, for example the processing station 32. The interior surface 88 of the seated vessel 80 can be processed via the vessel port 92 at the second processing station such as 32.

III.A. Any of the above methods can include the further step of removing the vessel 80 from the vessel holder such as 66 following processing the interior surface 88 of the seated vessel 80 at the second processing station or device.

III.A. Any of the above methods can include the further step, after the removing step, of providing a second vessel 80 having an opening 82 and a wall 86 defining an interior surface 88. The opening 82 of the second vessel such as 80 can be seated on the vessel port 92 of another vessel holder such as 38. The interior surface of the seated second vessel 80 can be processed via the vessel port 92 at the first processing station or device such as 24. The vessel holder such as 38 and seated second vessel 80 can be transported from the first processing station or device 24 to the second processing station or device such as 26. The seated second vessel 80 can be processed via the vessel port 92 by the second processing station or device 26.

IV. PECVD Apparatus for Making Vessels

IV.A. PECVD Apparatus Including Vessel Holder, Internal Electrode, Vessel as Reaction Chamber

IV.A. A PECVD apparatus suitable for performing the present invention includes a vessel holder, an inner electrode, an outer electrode, and a power supply. A vessel seated on the vessel holder defines a plasma reaction chamber, which optionally can be a vacuum chamber. Optionally, a source of vacuum, a reactant gas source, a gas feed or a combination of two or more of these can be supplied. Optionally, a gas drain, not necessarily including a source of vacuum, is provided to transfer gas to or from the interior of a vessel seated on the port to define a closed chamber.

IV.A. The PECVD apparatus can be used for atmospheric-pressure PECVD, in which case the plasma reaction chamber does not need to function as a vacuum chamber.

IV.A. In FIG. 1 , the vessel holder 50 comprises a gas inlet port 104 for conveying a gas into a vessel seated on the vessel port. The gas inlet port 104 has a sliding seal provided by at least one O-ring 106, or two O-rings in series, or three O-rings in series, which can seat against a cylindrical probe 108 when the probe 108 is inserted through the gas inlet port 104. The probe 108 can be a gas inlet conduit that extends to a gas delivery port at its distal end 110. The distal end 110 of the illustrated embodiment can be inserted deep into the vessel 80 for providing one or more PECVD reactants and other gaseous reactant or process gases.

IV.A. FIG. 11 shows additional optional details of the coating station 28 that are usable, for example, with all the illustrated embodiments. The coating station 28 can also have a main vacuum valve 574 in its vacuum line 576 leading to the pressure sensor 152. A manual bypass valve 578 is provided in the bypass line 580. A vent valve 582 controls flow at the vent 404.

IV.A. Flow out of the PECVD gas or precursor source 144 is controlled by a main reactant gas valve 584 regulating flow through the main reactant feed line 586. One component of the gas source 144 is the organosilicon liquid reservoir 588. The contents of the reservoir 588 are drawn through the organosilicon capillary line 590, which is provided at a suitable length to provide the desired flow rate. Flow of organosilicon vapor is controlled by the organosilicon shut-off valve 592. Pressure is applied to the headspace 614 of the liquid reservoir 588, for example a pressure in the range of 0-15 psi (0 to 78 cm. Hg), from a pressure source 616 such as pressurized air connected to the headspace 614 by a pressure line 618 to establish repeatable organosilicon liquid delivery that is not dependent on atmospheric pressure (and the fluctuations therein). The reservoir 588 is sealed and the capillary connection 620 is at the bottom of the reservoir 588 to ensure that only neat organosilicon liquid (not the pressurized gas from the headspace 614) flows through the capillary tube 590. The organosilicon liquid optionally can be heated above ambient temperature, if necessary or desirable to cause the organosilicon liquid to evaporate, forming an organosilicon vapor. Oxygen is provided from the oxygen tank 594 via an oxygen feed line 596 controlled by a mass flow controller 598 and provided with an oxygen shut-off valve 600.

IV.A. Referring especially to FIG. 1 , the processing station 28 can include an electrode 160 fed by a radio frequency power supply 162 for providing an electric field for generating plasma within the vessel 80 during processing. In this embodiment, the probe 108 is also electrically conductive and is grounded, thus providing a counter-electrode within the vessel 80. Alternatively, in any embodiment the outer electrode 160 can be grounded and the probe 108 directly connected to the power supply 162.

IV.A. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the outer electrode 160 can either be generally cylindrical as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 or a generally U-shaped elongated channel as illustrated in FIG. 1 (FIG. 2 being an embodiment of the section taken along section line A-A of FIG. 1 ). Each illustrated embodiment has one or more sidewalls, such as 164 and 166, and optionally a top end 168, disposed about the vessel 80 in close proximity.

IV.A The electrode 160 shown in FIG. 1 can be shaped like a “U” channel with its length into the page and the puck or vessel holder 50 can move through the activated (powered) electrode during the treatment/coating process. Note that since external and internal electrodes are used, this apparatus can employ a frequency between 50 Hz and 1 GHz applied from a power supply 162 to the U channel electrode 160. The probe 108 can be grounded to complete the electrical circuit, allowing current to flow through the low-pressure gas(es) inside of the vessel 80. The current creates plasma to allow the selective treatment and/or coating of the interior surface 88 of the device.

IV.A The electrode in FIG. 1 can also be powered by a pulsed power supply. Pulsing allows for depletion of reactive gases and then removal of by-products prior to activation and depletion (again) of the reactive gases. Pulsed power systems are typically characterized by their duty cycle which determines the amount of time that the electric field (and therefore the plasma) is present. The power-on time is relative to the power-off time. For example a duty cycle of 10% can correspond to a power on time of 10% of a cycle where the power was off for 90% of the time. As a specific example, the power might be on for 0.1 second and off for 1 second. Pulsed power systems reduce the effective power input for a given power supply 162, since the off-time results in increased processing time. When the system is pulsed, the resulting coating can be very pure (no by products or contaminants). Another result of pulsed systems is the possibility to achieve atomic layer or coating deposition (ALD). In this case, the duty cycle can be adjusted so that the power-on time results in the deposition of a single layer or coating of a desired material. In this manner, a single atomic layer or coating is contemplated to be deposited in each cycle. This approach can result in highly pure and highly structured coatings (although at the temperatures required for deposition on polymeric surfaces, temperatures optionally are kept low (<100° C.) and the low-temperature coatings can be amorphous).

IV.A. An alternative coating station employs a microwave cavity instead of an outer electrode. The energy applied can be a microwave frequency, for example 2.45 GHz. However, in the context of present invention, a radiofrequency is preferred.

V.1 Precursors for PECVD Coating

The precursor for the PECVD coating of the present invention is broadly defined as an organometallic precursor. An organometallic precursor is defined in this specification as comprehending compounds of metal elements from Group III and/or Group IV of the Periodic Table having organic residues, e.g. hydrocarbon, aminocarbon or oxycarbon residues. Organometallic compounds as presently defined include any precursor having organic moieties bonded to silicon or other Group III/IV metal atoms directly, or optionally bonded through oxygen or nitrogen atoms. The relevant elements of Group III of the Periodic Table are Boron, Aluminum, Gallium, Indium, Thallium, Scandium, Yttrium, and Lanthanum, Aluminum and Boron being preferred. The relevant elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table are Silicon, Germanium, Tin, Lead, Titanium, Zirconium, Hafnium, and Thorium, with Silicon and Tin being preferred. Other volatile organic compounds can also be contemplated. However, organosilicon compounds are preferred for performing present invention.

An organosilicon precursor is contemplated, where an “organosilicon precursor” is defined throughout this specification most broadly as a compound having at least one of the linkages:

The first structure immediately above is a tetravalent silicon atom connected to an oxygen atom and an organic carbon atom (an organic carbon atom being a carbon atom bonded to at least one hydrogen atom). The second structure immediately above is a tetravalent silicon atom connected to an —NH— linkage and an organic carbon atom (an organic carbon atom being a carbon atom bonded to at least one hydrogen atom). Optionally, the organosilicon precursor is selected from the group consisting of a linear siloxane, a monocyclic siloxane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polysilsesquioxane, a linear silazane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic silazane, a polysilsesquiazane, and a combination of any two or more of these precursors. Also contemplated as a precursor, though not within the two formulas immediately above, is an alkyl trimethoxysilane. If an oxygen-containing precursor (e.g. a siloxane) is used, a representative predicted empirical composition resulting from PECVD under conditions forming a hydrophobic or lubricating coating would be Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) as defined in the Definition Section, while a representative predicted empirical composition resulting from PECVD under conditions forming a barrier coating would be SiO_(x), where x in this formula is from about 1.5 to about 2.9. If a nitrogen-containing precursor (e.g. a silazane) is used, the predicted composition would be Si_(w*)N_(x*)C_(y*)H_(z*), i.e. in Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) as specified in the Definition Section, O is replaced by N and the indices are adapted to the higher valency of N as compared to O (3 instead of 2). The latter adaptation will generally follow the ratio of w, x, y and z in a siloxane to the corresponding indices in its aza counterpart. In a particular aspect of the invention, Si_(w*)N_(x*)C_(y*)H_(z*) in which w*, x*, y*, and z* are defined the same as w, x, y, and z for the siloxane counterparts, but for an optional deviation in the number of hydrogen atoms.

One type of precursor starting material having the above empirical formula is a linear siloxane, for example a material having the following formula:

in which each R is independently selected from alkyl, for example methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, t-butyl, vinyl, alkyne, or others, and n is 1, 2, 3, 4, or greater, optionally two or greater. Several examples of contemplated linear siloxanes are

hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO),

-   -   octamethyltrisiloxane,     -   decamethyltetrasiloxane,     -   dodecamethylpentasiloxane,         or combinations of two or more of these. The analogous silazanes         in which —NH— is substituted for the oxygen atom in the above         structure are also useful for making analogous coatings. Several         examples of contemplated linear silazanes are         octamethyltrisilazane, decamethyltetrasilazane, or combinations         of two or more of these.

V.C. Another type of precursor starting material is a monocyclic siloxane, for example a material having the following structural formula:

in which R is defined as for the linear structure and “a” is from 3 to about 10, or the analogous monocyclic silazanes. Several examples of contemplated hetero-substituted and unsubstituted monocyclic siloxanes and silazanes include

-   -   1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-tris(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)methyl]cyclotrisiloxane     -   2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-2,4,6,8-tetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane,     -   pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane,     -   pentavinylpentamethylcyclopentasiloxane,     -   hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane,     -   hexaphenylcyclotrisiloxane,     -   octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS),     -   octaphenylcyclotetrasiloxane,     -   decamethylcyclopentasiloxane     -   dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane,     -   methyl(3,3,3-trifluoropropl)cyclosiloxane,     -   Cyclic organosilazanes are also contemplated, such as     -   Octamethylcyclotetrasilazane,     -   1,3,5,7-tetravinyl-1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasilazane         hexamethylcyclotrisilazane,     -   octamethylcyclotetrasilazane,     -   decamethylcyclopentasilazane,     -   dodecamethylcyclohexasilazane, or         combinations of any two or more of these.

V.C. Another type of precursor starting material is a polycyclic siloxane, for example a material having one of the following structural formulas:

in which Y can be oxygen or nitrogen, E is silicon, and Z is a hydrogen atom or an organic substituent, for example alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, t-butyl, vinyl, alkyne, or others. When each Y is oxygen, the respective structures, from left to right, are a silatrane, a silquasilatrane, and a silproatrane. When Y is nitrogen, the respective structures are an azasilatrane, an azasilquasiatrane, and an azasilproatrane.

V.C. Another type of polycyclic siloxane precursor starting material is a polysilsesquioxane, with the empirical formula RSiO_(1.5) and the structural formula:

in which each R is a hydrogen atom or an organic substituent, for example alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, t-butyl, vinyl, alkyne, or others. Two commercial materials of this sort are SST-eM01 poly(methylsilsesquioxane), in which each R is methyl, and SST-3MH1.1 poly(Methyl-Hydridosilsesquioxane), in which 90% of the R groups are methyl, 10% are hydrogen atoms. This material is available in a 10% solution in tetrahydrofuran, for example. Combinations of two or more of these are also contemplated. Other examples of a contemplated precursor are methylsilatrane, CAS No. 2288-13-3, in which each Y is oxygen and Z is methyl, methylazasilatrane, poly(methylsilsesquioxane) (e.g. SST-eM01 poly(methylsilsesquioxane)), in which each R optionally can be methyl, SST-3MH1.1 poly(Methyl-Hydridosilsesquioxane) (e.g. SST-3MH1.1 poly(Methyl-Hydridosilsesquioxane)), in which 90% of the R groups are methyl and 10% are hydrogen atoms, or a combination of any two or more of these.

V.C. The analogous polysilsesquiazanes in which —NH— is substituted for the oxygen atom in the above structure are also useful for making analogous coatings. Examples of contemplated polysilsesquiazanes are a poly(methylsilsesquiazane), in which each R is methyl, and a poly(Methyl-Hydridosilsesquiazane, in which 90% of the R groups are methyl, 10% are hydrogen atoms. Combinations of two or more of these are also contemplated.

V.C. One particularly contemplated precursor for the lubricity layer or coating according to the present invention is a monocyclic siloxane, for example is octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane.

One particularly contemplated precursor for the hydrophobic layer or coating according to the present invention is a monocyclic siloxane, for example is octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. Another particularly contemplated precursor for the hydrophobic layer or coating according to the present invention is a linear siloxane, for example HMDSO.

One particularly contemplated precursor for the barrier coating according to the present invention is a linear siloxane, for example is HMDSO.

V.C. In any of the coating methods according to the present invention, the applying step optionally can be carried out by vaporizing the precursor and providing it in the vicinity of the substrate. E.g., OMCTS is usually vaporized by heating it to about 50° C. before applying it to the PECVD apparatus.

V.2 General PECVD Method

In the context of the present invention, the following PECVD method is generally applied, which contains the following steps:

(a) providing a process gas comprising a precursor as defined herein, optionally an oxidizing gas, optionally a carrier gas, and optionally a hydrocarbon; and

(b) generating a plasma from the process gas, thus forming a coating on the substrate surface by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

The plasma coating technology used herein is based on Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD). Methods and apparatus suitable to perform said PECVD coatings are described in EP10162755.2 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162760.2 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162756.0 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162758.6 filed May 12, 2010; EP10162761.0 filed May 12, 2010; and EP10162757.8 filed May 12, 2010. The PECVD methods and apparatus as described therein are suitable to perform the present invention and are therefore incorporated herein by reference.

Without being bound by theory, it is assumed that the coating is covalently attached to the coated surface (may it be the plastic substrate surface or the surface of a coating which is already present on the substrate surface, e.g. a SiO_(x) barrier coating) in the PECVD process of the invention. The process uses a silicon source (e.g. HMDSO or OMCTS), oxygen, radiofrequency (RF) and charged electrodes to create the plasma. Optionally, a carrier gas like Argon is present as well. A hydrocarbon gas may also be present in specific applications. At the pressures and powers that are used, the plasma process is driven by electron impact ionization; that is, the electrons in the process are the driving force of the reaction. The process utilizes RF to excite the electrons, resulting in lower temperatures than traditional standard methods of energizing electrons in plasmas, i.e., microwaves.

The plasma, which contains a mixture of high energy electrons and ions of the gases, deposits a silicon and oxide containing coating onto the plastic (e.g. COC) surface. Electrons from the plasma interact at the polymer surface upon initiation of the plasma reaction, “etching” the surface by breaking C—H bonds (a similar “etching by breaking bonds” takes place when a coating is coated again, e.g. when a lubricity coating is applied on a SiOx barrier coating). Under the right conditions, these sites then are believed to act as nucleation points where the Si—O—Si backbone (which is formed from the ionization of the silicon containing molecule in the gas phase) bonds with the polymer, from which the coating grows, eventually forming a uniform, continuous coating over the entire polymer surface. The silicon-carbon (silicon to methyl groups) bonds in the organosilicon precursor can react with oxygen, breaking the bond between the methyl group and silicon and reforming bonds with the plastic surface or other Si—O groups already on the surface.

Since the coating is grown from a plasma, which is an ionized gas, completely filling the container it occupies, a dense, uniform and conformal coating is achieved at a molecular level. See FIGS. 21 and 22 . The purity of the coating is assured through the use of pure precursor gases. This process results in a surface with uniform, controllable energy. Analytical characterization of a coating with atomic force microscopy (AFM), FTIR, TOF-SIMS, XPS, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and scanning electron microscopy can confirm the purity and uniformity.

An exemplary preferred embodiment of the PECVD technology will be described in the following sections.

The process utilizes a silicon containing vapor that can be combined with oxygen at reduced pressures (mTorr range—atmospheric pressure is 760 Torr) inside a container.

An electrical field generated at, e.g., 13.56 MHz [radio frequency range] is then applied between an external electrode and an internal grounded gas inlet to create a plasma. At the pressures and powers that are used to coat a container, the plasma process is driven by electron impact ionization, which means the electrons in the process are the driving force behind the chemistry. Specifically, the plasma drives the chemical reaction through electron impact ionization of the silicon containing material [e.g., hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) or other reactants like octamethylcyclotretrasiloxane (OMCTS)] resulting in a silicon dioxide or Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) coating deposited onto the interior surfaces of the container. These coatings are in a typical embodiment on the order of 20 or more nanometers in thickness. HMDSO consists of an Si—O—Si backbone with six (6) methyl groups attached to the silicon atoms. The process breaks the Si—C bonds and (at the surface of the tube or syringe) reacts with oxygen to create silicon dioxide. Since the coating is grown on an atomic basis, dense, conformal coatings with thicknesses of 20-30 nanometers can achieve significant barrier properties. The silicon oxide acts as a physical barrier to gases, moisture, and small organic molecules, and is of greater purity than commercial glasses. OMCTS results in coatings with lubricity or anti-adhesion properties. Their average thickness is generally higher than the thickness of the SiO_(x) barrier coating, e.g. from 30 to 1000 nm on average. A certain roughness may enhance the lubricious properties of the lubricity coating, thus its thickness is advantageously not uniform throughout the coating (see below). However, a uniform lubricity coating is also considered.

The technology is unique in several aspects:

(a) The process utilizes the rigid container as the vacuum chamber. PECVD conventionally uses a secondary vacuum vessel into which the part(s) are loaded and coated. Utilizing the container as a vacuum chamber significantly simplifies the process apparatus and reduces cycle/processing time, and thus manufacturing cost and capital. This approach also reduces scale-up issues since scale-up is as simple as replicating the number of tubes or syringes required to meet the throughput requirements.

(b) Radio Frequency excitation of the plasma allows energy to be imparted to the ionized gas with little heating of the part. Unlike microwave excitation energies, typically used in PECVD, which will impart significant energy to water molecules in the part itself, radio frequency will not preferentially heat the polymeric tubes or syringes. Controlled heat absorption is critical to prevent substrate temperature increases approaching plastic glass transition temperatures, causing loss of dimensional integrity (collapse under vacuum).

(c) Single layer gas barrier coating—the new technology can generate a single layer of silicon dioxide directly on the interior surface of the part. Most other barrier technologies (thin film) require at least two layers.

(d) Combination barrier-lubricity coatings—the new technology utilizes a combination SiO_(x)/Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) coating to provide multiple performance attributes (barrier/lubricity). The lubricity coating can also be coated again with a barrier coating.

The plasma deposition technology in a preferred aspect utilizes a simple manufacturing configuration. The system is based on a “puck,” which is used in transportation of tubes and syringes in and out of the coating station. The device-puck interface is critical, since once coating/characterization conditions are established at the pilot scale, there are no scaling issues when moving to full scale production; one simply increases the number of pucks through the same process. The puck is manufactured from a polymeric material (e.g. Delrin™) to provide an electrically insulated base. The container is mounted into the puck with the largest opening sealing against an o-ring (mounted in the puck itself). The o-ring provides the vacuum seal between the part and the puck so that the ambient air (principally nitrogen and oxygen with some water vapor) can be removed (pressure reduced) and the process gases introduced. The puck has several key features in addition to the o-ring seal. The puck provides a means of connection to the vacuum pump (which pumps away the atmospheric gases and the by-products of the silicon dioxide reaction), a means of accurately aligning the gas inlet in the part, and a means of providing a vacuum seal between the puck and gas inlet.

For SiO₂ deposition, HMDSO and oxygen gases are then admitted into the container through the grounded gas inlet which extends up into the part. At this point, the puck and container are moved into the electrode area. The electrode is constructed from a conductive material (for example copper) and provides a tunnel through which the part passes. The electrode does not make physical contact with the container or the puck and is supported independently. An RF impedance matching network and power supply are connected directly to the electrode. The power supply provides energy (at 13.56 MHz) to the impedance matched network. The RF matching network acts to match the output impedance of the power supply to the complex (capacitive and inductive) impedance of the ionized gases. The matching network delivers maximum power delivery to the ionized gas which ensures deposition of the silicon dioxide coating.

Once the container is coated (as the puck moves the container through the electrode channel—which is stationary), the gases are stopped and atmospheric air (or pure nitrogen) is allowed inside the puck/container to bring it back to atmospheric pressure. At this time, the container can be removed from the puck and moved to the next processing station.

The above describes clearly the means of coating a container having just one opening. Syringes require an additional step before and after loading onto the puck. Since the syringes have openings at both ends (one for connection to a needle and the second for installation of a plunger), the needle end must be sealed prior to coating. The above process allows reaction gases to be admitted into the plastic part interior, an electrical current to pass through the gas inside of the part and a plasma to be established inside the part. The plasma (an ionized composition of the HMDSO or OMCTS and oxygen gases) is what drives the chemistry and the deposition of the plasma coating.

In the method, the coating characteristics are advantageously set by one or more of the following conditions: the plasma properties, the pressure under which the plasma is applied, the power applied to generate the plasma, the presence and relative amount of O₂ in the gaseous reactant, the presence and relative amount of a carrier gas, e.g. of Argon in the gaseous reactant, the plasma volume, and the organosilicon precursor. Optionally, the coating characteristics are set by the presence and relative amount of O₂ in the gaseous reactant, and/or the presence and relative amount of the carrier gas (e.g. Argon) and/or the power applied to generate the plasma.

In all embodiments of the present invention, the plasma is in an optional aspect a non-hollow-cathode plasma, in particular when an SiO_(x) coating is formed. In an alternative optional aspect, there is a hollow-cathode plasma, in particular when a lubricity coating is formed.

In a further preferred aspect, the plasma is generated at reduced pressure (as compared to the ambient or atmospheric pressure). Optionally, the reduced pressure is less than 300 mTorr, optionally less than 200 mTorr, even optionally less than 100 mTorr.

The PECVD optionally is performed by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes powered at a frequency at microwave or radio frequency, and optionally at a radio frequency. The radio frequency preferred to perform an embodiment of the invention will also be addressed as “RF frequency”. A typical radio frequency range for performing the present invention is a frequency of from 10 kHz to less than 300 MHz, optionally from 1 to 50 MHz, even optionally from 10 to 15 MHz. A frequency of 13.56 MHz is most preferred, this being a government sanctioned frequency for conducting PECVD work.

There are several advantages for using a RF power source versus a microwave source: Since RF operates a lower power, there is less heating of the substrate/vessel. Because the focus of the present invention is putting a plasma coating on plastic substrates, lower processing temperature are desired to prevent melting/distortion of the substrate. To prevent substrate overheating when using microwave PECVD, the microwave PECVD is applied in short bursts, by pulsing the power. The power pulsing extends the cycle time for the coating, which is undesired in the present invention. The higher frequency microwave can also cause offgassing of volatile substances like residual water, oligomers and other materials in the plastic substrate. This offgassing can interfere with the PECVD coating. A major concern with using microwave for PECVD is delamination of the coating from the substrate. Delamination occurs because the microwaves change the surface of the substrate prior to depositing the coating layer. To mitigate the possibility of delamination, interface coating layers have been developed for microwave PECVD to achieve good bonding between the coating and the substrate. No such interface coating layer or coating is needed with RF PECVD as there is no risk of delamination. Finally, the lubricity layer or coating and hydrophobic layer or coating according to the present invention are advantageously applied using lower power. RF power operates at lower power and provides more control over the PECVD process than microwave power. Nonetheless, microwave power, though less preferred, is usable under suitable process conditions.

Furthermore, for all PECVD methods described herein, there is a specific correlation between the power (in Watts) used to generate the plasma and the volume of the lumen wherein the plasma is generated. Typically, the lumen is the lumen of a vessel coated according to the present invention. The RF power should scale with the volume of the vessel if the same electrode system is employed. Once the composition of a gaseous reactant, for example the ratio of the precursor to O₂, and all other parameters of the PECVD coating method but the power have been set, they will typically not change when the geometry of a vessel is maintained and only its volume is varied. In this case, the power will be directly proportional to the volume. Thus, starting from the power to volume ratios provided by present description, the power which has to be applied in order to achieve the same or a similar coating in a vessel of same geometry, but different size, can easily be found. The influence of the vessel geometry on the power to be applied is illustrated by the results of the Examples for tubes in comparison to the Examples for syringe barrels.

For any coating of the present invention, the plasma is generated with electrodes powered with sufficient power to form a coating on the substrate surface. For a lubricity layer or coating, or hydrophobic layer or coating (one layer may also be both lubricant and hydrophobic), in the method according to an embodiment of the invention the plasma is optionally generated

(i) with electrodes supplied with an electric power of from 0.1 to 25 W, optionally from 1 to 22 W, optionally from 1 to 10 W, even optionally from 1 to 5 W, optionally from 2 to 4 W, for example of 3 W, optionally from 3 to 17 W, even optionally from 5 to 14 W, for example 6 or 7.5 W, optionally from 7 to 11 W, for example of 8 W.; and/or (ii) wherein the ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume is less than 10 W/ml, optionally is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 5 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 4 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 3 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml, optionally is from 2 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml.

Low power levels are believed by the inventors to be most advantageous (e.g. power levels of from 2 to 3.5 W and the power levels given in the Examples) to prepare a lubricity coating.

For a barrier coating or SiO_(x) coating, the plasma is optionally generated

(i) with electrodes supplied with an electric power of from 8 to 500 W, optionally from 20 to 400 W, optionally from 35 to 350 W, even optionally from 44 to 300 W, optionally from 44 to 70 W; and/or

(ii) the ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume is equal or more than 5 W/ml, optionally is from 6 W/ml to 150 W/ml, optionally is from 7 W/ml to 100 W/ml, optionally from 7 W/ml to 20 W/ml.

Low power levels are believed by the inventors to be most advantageous (e.g. power levels of from 2 to 3.5 W and the power levels given in the Examples) to prepare a lubricity coating. These power levels are suitable for applying lubricity coatings to syringes and sample tubes and vessels of similar geometry having a void volume of 1 to 3 mL in which PECVD plasma is generated. It is contemplated that for larger or smaller objects the power applied should be increased or reduced accordingly to scale the process to the size of the substrate.

The vessel geometry can also influence the choice of the gas inlet used for the PECVD coating. In a particular aspect, a syringe can be coated with an open tube inlet, and a tube can be coated with a gas inlet having small holes which is extended into the tube.

The power (in Watts) used for PECVD also has an influence on the coating properties. Typically, an increase of the power will increase the barrier properties of the coating, and a decrease of the power will increase the lubricity and hydrophobicity of the coating. This is demonstrated in several Examples, in particular in Examples E to V. It is also demonstrated in Examples of EP 2 251 455 A2, to which explicit reference is made herewith.

A further parameter determining the coating properties is the ratio of O₂ (or another oxidizing agent) to the precursor (e.g. organosilicon precursor) in the gaseous reactant used for generating the plasma. Typically, an increase of the O₂ ratio in the gaseous reactant will increase the barrier properties of the coating, and a decrease of the O₂ ratio will increase the lubricity and hydrophobicity of the coating. If a lubricity layer or coating is desired, then O₂ is optionally present in a volume-volume ratio to the gaseous reactant of from 0:1 to 5:1, optionally from 0:1 to 1:1, even optionally from 0:1 to 0.5:1 or even from 0:1 to 0.1:1. It is preferred that some O₂ is present, optionally in an amount of from 0.01:1 to 0.5:1, even optionally from 0.05:1 to 0.4:1, in particular from 0.1:1 to 0.2:1 in relation to the organosilicon precursor. The presence of O₂ in a volume of about 5% to about 35% (v/v in sccm) in relation to the organosilicon precursor, in particular of about 10% to about 20% and in a ratio as given in the Examples is specifically suitable to achieve a lubricity coating.

If, on the other hand, a barrier or SiO_(x) coating is desired, then the O₂ is optionally present in a volume:volume ratio to the gaseous reactant of from 1:1 to 100:1 in relation to the silicon containing precursor, optionally in a ratio of from 5:1 to 30:1, optionally in a ratio of from 10:1 to 20:1, even optionally in a ratio of 15:1.

V.A. PECVD to Apply SiO_(x) Barrier Coating, Using Plasma that is Substantially Free of Hollow Cathode Plasma

V.A. A specific embodiment encompasses a method of applying a barrier coating of SiO_(x), defined in this specification (unless otherwise specified in a particular instance) as a coating containing silicon, oxygen, and optionally other elements, in which x, the ratio of oxygen to silicon atoms, is from about 1.5 to about 2.9, or 1.5 to about 2.6, or about 2. These alternative definitions of x apply to any use of the term SiO_(x) in this specification. The barrier coating is applied to the interior of a vessel, for example a sample collection tube, a syringe barrel, or another type of vessel. The method includes several steps.

V.A. A vessel wall is provided, as is a reaction mixture comprising plasma forming gas, i.e. an organosilicon compound gas, optionally an oxidizing gas, and optionally a hydrocarbon gas.

V.A. Plasma is formed in the reaction mixture that is substantially free of hollow cathode plasma. The vessel wall is contacted with the reaction mixture, and the coating of SiO_(x) is deposited on at least a portion of the vessel wall.

V.A. In certain embodiments, the generation of a uniform plasma throughout the portion of the vessel to be coated is contemplated, as it has been found in certain instances to generate an SiO_(x) coating providing a better barrier against oxygen. Uniform plasma means regular plasma that does not include a substantial amount of hollow cathode plasma (which has a higher emission intensity than regular plasma and is manifested as a localized area of higher intensity interrupting the more uniform intensity of the regular plasma).

V.A. The hollow cathode effect is generated by a pair of conductive surfaces opposing each other with the same negative potential with respect to a common anode. If the spacing is made (depending on the pressure and gas type) such that the space charge sheaths overlap, electrons start to oscillate between the reflecting potentials of the opposite wall sheaths leading to multiple collisions as the electrons are accelerated by the potential gradient across the sheath region. The electrons are confined in the space charge sheath overlap which results in very high ionization and high ion density plasmas. This phenomenon is described as the hollow cathode effect. Those skilled in the art are able to vary the processing conditions, such as the power level and the feed rates or pressure of the gases, to form uniform plasma throughout or to form plasma including various degrees of hollow cathode plasma.

V.A. The plasma is typically generated using RF energy for the reasons given above. In an alternate, but less typical method, microwave energy can be used to generate the plasma in a PECVD process. The processing conditions can be different, however, as microwave energy applied to a thermoplastic vessel will excite (vibrate) water molecules. Since there is a small amount of water in all plastic materials, the microwaves will heat the plastic. As the plastic heats, the large driving force created by the vacuum inside of the device relative to atmospheric pressure outside the device will pull free or easily desorb materials to the interior surface 88 where they will either become volatile or will be weakly bound to the surface. The weakly bound materials will then create an interface that can hinder subsequent coatings (deposited from the plasma) from adhering to the plastic interior surface 88 of the device.

V.A. As one way to negate this coating hindering effect, a coating can be deposited at very low power (in the example above 5 to 20 Watts at 2.45 GHz) creating a cap onto which subsequent coatings can adhere. This results in a two-step coating process (and two coating layers). In the example above, the initial gas flows (for the capping layer) can be changed to 2 sccm (“standard cubic centimeters per minute”) HMDSO and 20 sccm oxygen with a process power of 5 to 20 Watts for approximately 2-10 seconds. Then the gases can be adjusted to the flows in the example above and the power level increased to 20-50 Watts so that an SiO_(x) coating, in which x in this formula is from about 1.5 to about 2.9, alternatively from about 1.5 to about 2.6, alternatively about 2, can be deposited. Note that the capping layer or coating might provide little to no functionality in certain embodiments, except to stop materials from migrating to the vessel interior surface 88 during the higher power SiO_(x) coating deposition. Note also that migration of easily desorbed materials in the device walls typically is not an issue at lower frequencies such as most of the RF range, since the lower frequencies do not excite (vibrate) molecular species.

V.A. As another way to negate the coating hindering effect described above, the vessel 80 can be dried to remove embedded water before applying microwave energy. Desiccation or drying of the vessel 80 can be accomplished, for example, by thermally heating the vessel 80, as by using an electric heater or forced air heating. Desiccation or drying of the vessel 80 also can be accomplished by exposing the interior of the vessel 80, or gas contacting the interior of the vessel 80, to a desiccant. Other expedients for drying the vessel, such as vacuum drying, can also be used. These expedients can be carried out in one or more of the stations or devices illustrated or by a separate station or device.

V.A. Additionally, the coating hindering effect described above can be addressed by selection or processing of the resin from which the vessels 80 are molded to minimize the water content of the resin.

V.B. PECVD Coating Restricted Opening of Vessel (Syringe Capillary)

V.B. FIGS. 8 and 9 show a method and apparatus generally indicated at 290 for coating an inner surface 292 of a restricted opening 294 of a generally tubular vessel 250 to be processed, for example the restricted front opening 294 of a syringe barrel 250, by PECVD. The previously described process is modified by connecting the restricted opening 294 to a processing vessel 296 and optionally making certain other modifications.

V.B. The generally tubular vessel 250 to be processed includes an outer surface 298, an inner or interior surface 254 defining a lumen 300, a larger opening 302 having an inner diameter, and a restricted opening 294 that is defined by an inner surface 292 and has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the larger opening 302.

V.B. The processing vessel 296 has a lumen 304 and a processing vessel opening 306, which optionally is the only opening, although in other embodiments a second opening can be provided that optionally is closed off during processing. The processing vessel opening 306 is connected with the restricted opening 294 of the vessel 250 to be processed to establish communication between the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed and the processing vessel lumen via the restricted opening 294.

V.B. At least a partial vacuum is drawn within the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed and lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296. A PECVD reactant is flowed from the gas source 144 through the first opening 302, then through the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed, then through the restricted opening 294, then into the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296.

V.B. The PECVD reactant can be introduced through the larger opening 302 of the vessel 250 by providing a generally tubular inner electrode 308 having an interior passage 310, a proximal end 312, a distal end 314, and a distal opening 316, in an alternative embodiment multiple distal openings can be provided adjacent to the distal end 314 and communicating with the interior passage 310. The distal end of the electrode 308 can be placed adjacent to or into the larger opening 302 of the vessel 250 to be processed. A reactant gas can be fed through the distal opening 316 of the electrode 308 into the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed. The reactant will flow through the restricted opening 294, then into the lumen 304, to the extent the PECVD reactant is provided at a higher pressure than the vacuum initially drawn before introducing the PECVD reactant.

V.B. Plasma 318 is generated adjacent to the restricted opening 294 under conditions effective to deposit a coating of a PECVD reaction product on the inner surface 292 of the restricted opening 294. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the plasma is generated by feeding RF energy to the generally U-shaped outer electrode 160 and grounding the inner electrode 308. The feed and ground connections to the electrodes could also be reversed, though this reversal can introduce complexity if the vessel 250 to be processed, and thus also the inner electrode 308, are moving through the U-shaped outer electrode while the plasma is being generated.

An aspect of the invention is a syringe including a needle and a barrel (a “staked needle syringe”) as described in U.S. Ser. No. 61/359,434, filed Jun. 29, 2010. The needle of this aspect of the invention has an outside surface, a delivery outlet at one end, a base at the other end, and an internal passage extending from the base to the delivery outlet. The barrel has a, for example generally cylindrical, interior surface defining a lumen. The barrel also has a front passage molded around and in fluid-sealing contact with the outside surface of the needle.

The syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment optionally can further include a cap configured to isolate the delivery outlet of the needle from ambient air.

The cap of any “staked needle” embodiment optionally can further include a lumen having an opening defined by a rim and sized to receive the delivery outlet, and the rim can be seatable against an exterior portion of the barrel.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the barrel optionally can further include a generally hemispheric interior surface portion adjacent to its front passage.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the base of the needle optionally can be at least substantially flush with the hemispheric interior surface portion of the barrel.

The syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment optionally can further include a PECVD-applied barrier coating on at least the hemispheric interior surface portion of the barrel.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the barrier coating optionally can extend over at least a portion of the generally cylindrical interior surface portion of the barrel.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the barrier coating optionally can form a barrier between the base of the needle and the generally cylindrical interior surface portion of the barrel.

In the “staked needle” embodiment of FIG. 24 , the cap 7126 is held in place on the nose 71110 of the syringe 7120 by a conventional Luer lock arrangement. The tapered nose 71110 of the syringe mates with a corresponding tapered throat 71112 of the cap 7126, and the syringe has a collar 71114 with an interior thread 71116 receiving the dogs 71118 and 71120 of the cap 7126 to lock the tapers 71110 and 71112 together. The cap 7126 can be substantially rigid.

Referring now to FIGS. 25A, 25B, and 25C, a variation on the syringe barrel 71122 and cap 71124 of the “staked needle” embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the cap 71124 includes a flexible lip seal 7172 at its base to form a moisture-tight seal with the syringe barrel 71122.

Optionally in the “staked needle” embodiments of FIGS. 24 and 25A, 25B, and 25C, the caps 7126 and 71124 can withstand vacuum during the PECVD coating process. The caps 7126 and 71124 can be made of LDPE. Alternative rigid plastic materials can be used as well, for example polypropylene. Additional sealing elements can be provided as well.

In another option of the “staked needle” embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 26 , the cap 71126 is flexible, and is designed to seal around the top end of the syringe 7120. A deformable material—like a rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) can be used for the cap 71126. Preferred TPE materials include fluoroelastomers, and in particular, medical grade fluoroelastomers. Examples include VITON® and TECHNOFLON®. VITON® is preferable in some embodiments. An example of a suitable rubber is EPDM rubber.

During molding, in certain “staked needle” embodiments (illustrated for example in FIG. 26 ) a small amount of the cap material 71132 will be drawn into the tip or delivery outlet 7134 of the needle 7122 to create a seal. The material 71132 should have a durometer such as to permit an appropriate amount of material to be drawn into the needle 7122, and to cause the material drawn into the needle 7122 to continue to adhere to the cap 71126 when it is removed, unplugging the needle 7122 for use.

In other “staked needle” embodiments, the cap material 71132 can block the delivery outlet 7134 of the needle 7122 without being drawn into the delivery outlet 7134. Suitable material selection to accomplish the desired purposes is within the capabilities of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

An additional seal can be created by coupling an undercut 71134 formed in the syringe barrel and projections 71138 in the interior of the cap 71126, defining a coupling to retain the cap 71126. Alternative “staked needle” embodiments can include either one or both of the seals described above.

Optionally, with reference to FIGS. 25A, 25B, AND 25C, the cap 71124 can have a base 7168 and a coupling 7170 configured for securing the cap 7126 in a seated position on the barrel. Alternatively or in addition, a flexible lip seal 7172 can optionally be provided at the base 7168 of the cap 71124 for seating against the barrel 71122 when the cap 71124 is secured on the barrel 71122.

Optionally, referring now to FIG. 26 , the delivery outlet 7134 of the needle 7122 can be seated on the cap 71126 when the cap 7126 is secured on the barrel. This expedient is useful for sealing the delivery outlet 7134 against the ingress or egress of air or other fluids, when that is desired.

Optionally, in the “staked needle” embodiment the coupling 7170 can include a detent or groove 7174 on one of the barrel 71122 and the cap 71124 and a projection or rib 7176 on the other of the barrel 71122 and the cap 71124, the projection 7176 being adapted to mate with the detent 7174 when the cap 7126 is in its seated position on the barrel. In one contemplated embodiment, a detent 7174 can be on the barrel and a projection 7176 can be on the cap 7126. In another contemplated embodiment, a detent 7174 can be on the cap 7126 and a projection 7176 can be on the barrel. In yet another contemplated embodiment, a first detent 7174 can be on the barrel and a first projection 7176 mating with the detent 7174 can be on the cap 7126, while a second detent 7175 can be on the cap 7126 and the mating second projection 7177 can be on the barrel. A detent 7174 can be molded in the syringe barrel as an undercut by incorporating side draws such as 7192 and 7194 in the mold.

The detents 7174 mate with the complementary projections 7176 to assemble (snap) the cap 7126 onto the syringe 7120. In this respect the cap 7126 is desirably flexible enough to allow sufficient deformation for a snapping engagement of the detents 7174 and projections 7176.

The caps in the “staked needle” embodiment such as 7126, 71124, and 71126 can be injection molded or otherwise formed, for example from thermoplastic material. Several examples of suitable thermoplastic material are a polyolefin, for example a cyclic olefin polymer (COP), a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), polypropylene, or polyethylene. The cap 7126 can contain or be made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or other elastomeric material. The cap 7126 can also be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate resin, or any other suitable material. Optionally, a material for the cap 7126 can be selected that can withstand vacuum and maintain sterility within the syringe 7120.

V.B. The plasma 318 generated in the vessel 250 during at least a portion of processing can include hollow cathode plasma generated inside the restricted opening 294 and/or the processing vessel lumen 304. The generation of hollow cathode plasma 318 can contribute to the ability to successfully apply a barrier coating at the restricted opening 294, although the invention is not limited according to the accuracy or applicability of this theory of operation. Thus, in one contemplated mode of operation, the processing can be carried out partially under conditions generating a uniform plasma throughout the vessel 250 and the gas inlet, and partially under conditions generating a hollow cathode plasma, for example adjacent to the restricted opening 294.

V.B. The process is desirably operated under such conditions, as explained here and shown in the drawings, that the plasma 318 extends substantially throughout the syringe lumen 300 and the restricted opening 294. The plasma 318 also desirably extends substantially throughout the syringe lumen 300, the restricted opening 294, and the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296. This assumes that a uniform coating of the interior 254 of the vessel 250 is desired. In other embodiments non-uniform plasma can be desired.

V.B. It is generally desirable that the plasma 318 have a substantially uniform color throughout the syringe lumen 300 and the restricted opening 294 during processing, and optionally a substantially uniform color substantially throughout the syringe lumen 300, the restricted opening 294, and the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296. The plasma desirably is substantially stable throughout the syringe lumen 300 and the restricted opening 294, and optionally also throughout the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296.

V.B. The order of steps in this method is not contemplated to be critical.

V.B. In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 , the restricted opening 294 has a first fitting 332 and the processing vessel opening 306 has a second fitting 334 adapted to seat to the first fitting 332 to establish communication between the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296 and the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed.

V.B. In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 , the first and second fittings are male and female Luer lock fittings 332 and 334, respectively integral with the structure defining the restricted opening 294 and the processing vessel opening 306. One of the fittings, in this case the male Luer lock fitting 332, comprises a locking collar 336 with a threaded inner surface and defining an axially facing, generally annular first abutment 338 and the other fitting 334 comprises an axially facing, generally annular second abutment 340 facing the first abutment 338 when the fittings 332 and 334 are engaged.

V.B. In the illustrated embodiment a seal, for example an O-ring 342 can be positioned between the first and second fittings 332 and 334. For example, an annular seal can be engaged between the first and second abutments 338 and 340. The female Luer fitting 334 also includes dogs 344 that engage the threaded inner surface of the locking collar 336 to capture the O-ring 342 between the first and second fittings 332 and 334. Optionally, the communication established between the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed and the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296 via the restricted opening 294 is at least substantially leak proof.

V.B. As a further option, either or both of the Luer lock fittings 332 and 334 can be made of electrically conductive material, for example stainless steel. This construction material forming or adjacent to the restricted opening 294 might contribute to formation of the plasma in the restricted opening 294.

V.B. The desirable volume of the lumen 304 of the processing vessel 296 is contemplated to be a trade-off between a small volume that will not divert much of the reactant flow away from the product surfaces desired to be coated and a large volume that will support a generous reactant gas flow rate through the restricted opening 294 before filling the lumen 304 sufficiently to reduce that flow rate to a less desirable value (by reducing the pressure difference across the restricted opening 294). The contemplated volume of the lumen 304, in an embodiment, is less than three times the volume of the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed, or less than two times the volume of the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed, or less than the volume of the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed, or less than 50% of the volume of the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed, or less than 25% of the volume of the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed. Other effective relationships of the volumes of the respective lumens are also contemplated.

V.B. The inventors have found that the uniformity of coating can be improved in certain embodiments by repositioning the distal end of the electrode 308 relative to the vessel 250 so it does not penetrate as far into the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 as the position of the inner electrode shown in previous Figures. For example, although in certain embodiments the distal opening 316 can be positioned adjacent to the restricted opening 294, in other embodiments the distal opening 316 can be positioned less than ⅞ the distance, optionally less than ¾ the distance, optionally less than half the distance to the restricted opening 294 from the larger opening 302 of the vessel to be processed while feeding the reactant gas. Or, the distal opening 316 can be positioned less than 40%, less than 30%, less than 20%, less than 15%, less than 10%, less than 8%, less than 6%, less than 4%, less than 2%, or less than 1% of the distance to the restricted opening 294 from the larger opening of the vessel to be processed while feeding the reactant gas.

V.B. Or, the distal end of the electrode 308 can be positioned either slightly inside or outside or flush with the larger opening 302 of the vessel 250 to be processed while communicating with, and feeding the reactant gas to, the interior of the vessel 250. The positioning of the distal opening 316 relative to the vessel 250 to be processed can be optimized for particular dimensions and other conditions of treatment by testing it at various positions. One particular position of the electrode 308 contemplated for treating syringe barrels 250 is with the distal end 314 penetrating about a quarter inch (about 6 mm) into the vessel lumen 300 above the larger opening 302.

V.B. The inventors presently contemplate that it is advantageous to place at least the distal end 314 of the electrode 308 within the vessel 250 so it will function suitably as an electrode, though that is not necessarily a requirement. Surprisingly, the plasma 318 generated in the vessel 250 can be made more uniform, extending through the restricted opening 294 into the processing vessel lumen 304, with less penetration of the electrode 308 into the lumen 300 than has previously been employed. With other arrangements, such as processing a closed-ended vessel, the distal end 314 of the electrode 308 commonly is placed closer to the closed end of the vessel than to its entrance.

V.B. Or, the distal end 314 of the electrode 308 can be positioned at the restricted opening 294 or beyond the restricted opening 294, for example within the processing vessel lumen 304. Various expedients can optionally be provided, such as shaping the processing vessel 296 to improve the gas flow through the restricted opening 294.

V.B. In yet another contemplated embodiment, the inner electrode 308, as in FIG. 8 , can be moved during processing, for example, at first extending into the processing vessel lumen 304, then being withdrawn progressively proximally as the process proceeds. This expedient is particularly contemplated if the vessel 250, under the selected processing conditions, is long, and movement of the inner electrode facilitates more uniform treatment of the interior surface 254. Using this expedient, the processing conditions, such as the gas feed rate, the vacuum draw rate, the electrical energy applied to the outer electrode 160, the rate of withdrawing the inner electrode 308, or other factors can be varied as the process proceeds, customizing the process to different parts of a vessel to be treated.

V.B. Conveniently, as in the other processes described in this specification, the larger opening of the generally tubular vessel 250 to be processed can be placed on a vessel support 320, as by seating the larger opening 302 of the vessel 250 to be processed on a port 322 of the vessel support 320. Then the inner electrode 308 can be positioned within the vessel 250 seated on the vessel support 320 before drawing at least a partial vacuum within the lumen 300 of the vessel 250 to be processed.

V.C. Method of Applying a Lubricity Coating; and Lubricity Coating

V.C. The main embodiments of present invention are a method of applying a lubricity layer or coating derived from an organosilicon precursor, and the resulting coating and coated item. A “lubricity layer” or any similar term is generally defined as a coating that reduces the frictional resistance of the coated surface, relative to the uncoated surface. If the coated object is a syringe (or syringe part, e.g. syringe barrel) or any other item generally containing a plunger or movable part in sliding contact with the coated surface, the frictional resistance has two main aspects—breakout force and plunger sliding force.

The plunger sliding force test is a specialized test of the coefficient of sliding friction of the plunger within a syringe, accounting for the fact that the normal force associated with a coefficient of sliding friction as usually measured on a flat surface is addressed by standardizing the fit between the plunger or other sliding element and the tube or other vessel within which it slides. The parallel force associated with a coefficient of sliding friction as usually measured is comparable to the plunger sliding force measured as described in this specification. Plunger sliding force can be measured, for example, as provided in the ISO 7886-1:1993 test.

The plunger sliding force test can also be adapted to measure other types of frictional resistance, for example the friction retaining a stopper within a tube, by suitable variations on the apparatus and procedure. In one embodiment, the plunger can be replaced by a closure and the withdrawing force to remove or insert the closure can be measured as the counterpart of plunger sliding force.

Also or instead of the plunger sliding force, the breakout force can be measured. The breakout force is the force required to start a stationary plunger moving within a syringe barrel, or the comparable force required to unseat a seated, stationary closure and begin its movement. The breakout force is measured by applying a force to the plunger that starts at zero or a low value and increases until the plunger begins moving. The breakout force tends to increase with storage of a syringe, after the prefilled syringe plunger has pushed away the intervening lubricant or adhered to the barrel due to decomposition of the lubricant between the plunger and the barrel. The breakout force is the force needed to overcome “sticktion,” an industry term for the adhesion between the plunger and barrel that needs to be overcome to break out the plunger and allow it to begin moving.

The break loose force (Fi) and the glide force (Fm) are important performance measures for the effectiveness of a lubricity coating. For Fi and Fm, it is desired to have a low, but not too low value. With too low Fi, which means a too low level of resistance (the extreme being zero), premature/unintended flow may occur, which might e.g. lead to an unintentional premature or uncontrolled discharge of the content of a prefilled syringe.

In order to achieve a sufficient lubricity (e.g. to ensure that a syringe plunger can be moved in the syringe, but to avoid uncontrolled movement of the plunger), the following ranges of Fi and Fm should be advantageously maintained:

-   Fi: 2.5 to 5 lbs, preferably 2.7 to 4.9 lbs, and in particular 2.9     to 4.7 lbs; -   Fm: 2.5 to 8.0 lbs, preferably 3.3 to 7.6 lbs, and in particular 3.3     to 4 lbs.

Further advantageous Fi and Fm values can be found in the Tables of the Examples.

The lubricity coating optionally provides a consistent plunger force that reduces the difference between the break loose force (Fi) and the glide force (Fm).

V.C. Some utilities of coating a vessel in whole or in part with a lubricity layer, such as selectively at surfaces contacted in sliding relation to other parts, is to ease the insertion or removal of a stopper or passage of a sliding element such as a piston in a syringe or a stopper in a sample tube. The vessel can be made of glass or a polymer material such as polyester, for example polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), an olefin such as polypropylene, or other materials. COC is particularly suitable for syringes. Applying a lubricity layer or coating by PECVD can avoid or reduce the need to coat the vessel wall or closure with a sprayed, dipped, or otherwise applied organosilicon or other lubricant that commonly is applied in a far larger quantity than would be deposited by a PECVD process.

V.C. In any of the above embodiments V.C., a plasma is formed in the vicinity of the substrate.

In any of embodiments V.C., the precursor optionally can be provided in the substantial absence of nitrogen. In any of embodiments V.C., the precursor optionally can be provided at less than 1 Torr absolute pressure.

V.C. In any of embodiments V.C., the precursor optionally can be provided to the vicinity of a plasma emission.

V.C. In any of embodiments V.C., the coating optionally can be applied to the substrate at a thickness of 1 to 5000 nm, or 10 to 1000 nm, or 10 to 500 nm, or 10 to 200 nm, or 20 to 100 nm, or 30 to 1000 nm, or 30 to 500 nm thick. A typical thickness is from 30 to 1000 nm or from 20 to 100 nm, a very typical thickness is from 80 to 150 nm. These ranges are representing average thicknesses, as a certain roughness may enhance the lubricious properties of the lubricity coating. Thus its thickness is advantageously not uniform throughout the coating (see below). However, a uniformly thick lubricity coating is also considered.

The absolute thickness of the lubricity coating at single measurement points can be higher or lower than the range limits of the average thickness, with maximum deviations of preferably +/−50%, more preferably +/−25% and even more preferably +/−15% from the average thickness. However, it typically varies within the thickness ranges given for the average thickness in this description.

The thickness of this and other coatings can be measured, for example, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). An exemplary TEM image for a lubricity coating is shown in FIG. 21 . An exemplary TEM image for an SiO₂ barrier coating (described in more detail elsewhere) is shown in FIG. 22 .

V.C. The TEM can be carried out, for example, as follows. Samples can be prepared for Focused Ion Beam (FIB) cross-sectioning in two ways. Either the samples can be first coated with a thin layer or coating of carbon (50-100 nm thick) and then coated with a sputtered layer or coating of platinum (50-100 nm thick) using a K575X Emitech coating system, or the samples can be coated directly with the protective sputtered Pt layer. The coated samples can be placed in an FEI FIB200 FIB system. An additional layer or coating of platinum can be FIB-deposited by injection of an oregano-metallic gas while rastering the 30 kV gallium ion beam over the area of interest. The area of interest for each sample can be chosen to be a location half way down the length of the syringe barrel. Thin cross sections measuring approximately 15 μm (“micrometers”) long, 2 μm wide and 15 μm deep can be extracted from the die surface using a proprietary in-situ FIB lift-out technique. The cross sections can be attached to a 200 mesh copper TEM grid using FIB-deposited platinum. One or two windows in each section, measuring ˜8 μm wide, can be thinned to electron transparency using the gallium ion beam of the FEI FIB.

V.C. Cross-sectional image analysis of the prepared samples can be performed utilizing either a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), or a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM), or both. All imaging data can be recorded digitally. For STEM imaging, the grid with the thinned foils can be transferred to a Hitachi HD2300 dedicated STEM. Scanning transmitted electron images can be acquired at appropriate magnifications in atomic number contrast mode (ZC) and transmitted electron mode (TE). The following instrument settings can be used.

Scanning Transmission Electron 1. Instrument Microscope Manufacturer/Model Hitachi HD2300 Accelerating Voltage 200 kV Objective Aperture #2 Condenser Lens 1 Setting 1.672 Condenser Lens 2 Setting 1.747 Approximate Objective Lens Setting 5.86 ZC Mode Projector Lens 1.149 TE Mode Projector Lens 0.7 Image Acquisition Pixel Resolution 1280 × 960 Acquisition Time 20 sec.(x4)

V.C. For TEM analysis the sample grids can be transferred to a Hitachi HF2000 transmission electron microscope. Transmitted electron images can be acquired at appropriate magnifications. The relevant instrument settings used during image acquisition can be those given below.

Transmission Electron Instrument Microscope Manufacturer/Model Hitachi HF2000 Accelerating Voltage 200 kV Condenser Lens 1 0.78 Condenser Lens 2 0 Objective Lens 6.34 Condenser Lens Aperture #1 Objective Lens Aperture for #3 imaging Selective Area Aperture for N/A SAD

V.C. In any of embodiments V.C., the substrate can comprise glass or a polymer, for example a polycarbonate polymer, an olefin polymer, a cyclic olefin copolymer, a polypropylene polymer, a polyester polymer, a polyethylene terephthalate polymer or a combination of any two or more of these.

V.C. In any of embodiments V.C., the PECVD optionally can be performed by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes powered at a RF frequency as defined above, for example a frequency from 10 kHz to less than 300 MHz, optionally from 1 to 50 MHz, even optionally from 10 to 15 MHz, optionally a frequency of 13.56 MHz.

V.C. In any of embodiments V.C., the plasma can be generated by energizing the gaseous reactant comprising the precursor with electrodes supplied with electric power sufficient to form a lubricity layer. Optionally, the plasma is generated by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes supplied with an electric power of from 0.1 to 25 W, optionally from 1 to 22 W, optionally from 1 to 10 W, even optionally from 1 to 5 W, optionally from 2 to 4 W, for example of 3 W, optionally from 3 to 17 W, even optionally from 5 to 14 W, for example 6 or 7.5 W, optionally from 7 to 11 W, for example of 8 W. The ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume can be less than 10 W/ml, optionally is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 5 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 4 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 2 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml. Low power levels are believed by the inventors to be most advantageous (e.g. power levels of from 2 to 3.5 W and the power levels given in the Examples) to prepare a lubricity coating. These power levels are suitable for applying lubricity coatings to syringes and sample tubes and vessels of similar geometry having a void volume of 1 to 3 mL in which PECVD plasma is generated. It is contemplated that for larger or smaller objects the power applied should be increased or reduced accordingly to scale the process to the size of the substrate.

V.C. In any of embodiments V.C., one preferred combination of process gases includes octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) or another cyclic siloxane as the precursor, in the presence of oxygen as the oxidizing gas and argon as the carrier gas. Without being bound to the accuracy of this theory, the inventors believe this particular combination is effective for the following reasons.

V.C. It is believed that the OMCTS or other cyclic siloxane molecule provides several advantages over other siloxane materials. First, its ring structure results in a less dense coating (as compared to coatings prepared from HMDSO). The molecule also allows selective ionization so that the final structure and chemical composition of the coating can be directly controlled through the application of the plasma power. Other organosilicon molecules are readily ionized (fractured) so that it is more difficult to retain the original structure of the molecule.

V.C. Since the addition of Argon gas improves the lubricity performance (see the working examples below), it is believed that additional ionization of the molecule in the presence of Argon contributes to providing lubricity. The Si—O—Si bonds of the molecule have a high bond energy followed by the Si—C, with the C—H bonds being the weakest. Lubricity appears to be achieved when a portion of the C—H bonds are broken. This allows the connecting (cross-linking) of the structure as it grows. Addition of oxygen (with the Argon) is understood to enhance this process. A small amount of oxygen can also provide C—O bonding to which other molecules can bond. The combination of breaking C—H bonds and adding oxygen all at low pressure and power leads to a chemical structure that is solid while providing lubricity.

In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the lubricity can also be influenced by the roughness of the lubricity coating which results from the PECVD process using the precursors and conditions described herein. It has now surprisingly been found in the context of present invention by performing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), that a rough, non-continuous OMCTS plasma coating offers lower plunger force (Fi, Fm) than a smooth, continuous OMCTS plasma coating. This is demonstrated by Examples O to V.

While not bound by theory, the inventors assume that this particular effect could be, in part, based on one or both of the following mechanistic effects:

(a) lower surface contact of the plunger with the lubricity coating (e.g. the circular rigid plunger surface contacting only the peaks of a rough coating), either initially and/or throughout the plunger movement, resulting in overall lower contact and thus friction. (b) Upon plunger movement, the plunger causes the initial non-uniform, rough coating to be spread and smoothed into the uncoated “valleys”.

The roughness of the lubricity coating is increased with decreasing power (in Watts) energizing the plasma, and by the presence of O2 in the amounts described above. The roughness can be expressed as “RMS roughness” or “RMS” determined by AFM. RMS is the standard deviation of the difference between the highest and lowest points in an AFM image (the difference is designated as “Z”). It is calculated according to the formula: Rq={Σ(Z1−Zavg)2/N}−2

-   where Zavg is the average Z value within the image; Z1 is the     current value of Z; and N is the number of points in the image.

The RMS range in this specific embodiment is typically from 7 to 20 nm, preferably from 12 to 20 nm. A lower RMS can, however, still lead to satisfying lubricity properties.

V.C. One contemplated product optionally can be a syringe having a barrel treated by the method of any one or more of embodiments V.C. Said syringe can either have just a lubricity coating according to present invention, or it can have the lubricity coating and one or more other coatings in addition, e.g. a SiO_(x) barrier coating under or over the lubricity coating.

V.D. Liquid-Applied Coatings

V.D. An example of a suitable barrier or other type of coating, usable in conjunction with the PECVD-applied coatings or other PECVD treatment as disclosed here, can be a liquid barrier, lubricant, surface energy tailoring, or other type of coating 90 applied to the interior surface of a vessel, either directly or with one or more intervening PECVD-applied coatings described in this specification, for example SiO_(x), a lubricity layer or coating according to present invention, or both.

V.D. Suitable liquid barriers or other types of coatings 90 also optionally can be applied, for example, by applying a liquid monomer or other polymerizable or curable material to the interior surface of the vessel 80 and curing, polymerizing, or crosslinking the liquid monomer to form a solid polymer. Suitable liquid barrier or other types of coatings 90 can also be provided by applying a solvent-dispersed polymer to the surface 88 and removing the solvent.

V.D. Either of the above methods can include as a step forming a coating 90 on the interior 88 of a vessel 80 via the vessel port 92 at a processing station or device 28. One example is applying a liquid coating, for example of a curable monomer, prepolymer, or polymer dispersion, to the interior surface 88 of a vessel 80 and curing it to form a film that physically isolates the contents of the vessel 80 from its interior surface 88. The prior art describes polymer coating technology as suitable for coating plastic blood collection tubes. For example, the acrylic and polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC) coating materials and coating methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,566, which is hereby incorporated by reference, optionally can be used.

V.D. Either of the above methods can also or include as a step forming a coating on the exterior outer wall of a vessel 80. The coating optionally can be a barrier coating, optionally an oxygen barrier coating, or optionally a water barrier coating. One example of a suitable coating is polyvinylidene chloride, which functions both as a water barrier and an oxygen barrier. Optionally, the barrier coating can be applied as a water-based coating. The coating optionally can be applied by dipping the vessel in it, spraying it on the vessel, or other expedients. A vessel having an exterior barrier coating as described above is also contemplated.

VII. PECVD Treated Vessels

VII. Vessels are contemplated having a barrier coating 90 (shown in FIG. 1 , for example), which can be an SiO_(x) coating applied to a thickness of at least 2 nm, or at least 4 nm, or at least 7 nm, or at least 10 nm, or at least 20 nm, or at least 30 nm, or at least 40 nm, or at least 50 nm, or at least 100 nm, or at least 150 nm, or at least 200 nm, or at least 300 nm, or at least 400 nm, or at least 500 nm, or at least 600 nm, or at least 700 nm, or at least 800 nm, or at least 900 nm. The coating can be up to 1000 nm, or at most 900 nm, or at most 800 nm, or at most 700 nm, or at most 600 nm, or at most 500 nm, or at most 400 nm, or at most 300 nm, or at most 200 nm, or at most 100 nm, or at most 90 nm, or at most 80 nm, or at most 70 nm, or at most 60 nm, or at most 50 nm, or at most 40 nm, or at most 30 nm, or at most 20 nm, or at most 10 nm, or at most 5 nm thick. Specific thickness ranges composed of any one of the minimum thicknesses expressed above, plus any equal or greater one of the maximum thicknesses expressed above, are expressly contemplated. The thickness of the SiO_(x) or other coating can be measured, for example, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and its composition can be measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

VII. It is contemplated that the choice of the material to be barred from permeating the coating and the nature of the SiO_(x) coating applied can affect its barrier efficacy. For example, two examples of material commonly intended to be barred are oxygen and water/water vapor. Materials commonly are a better barrier to one than to the other. This is believed to be so at least in part because oxygen is transmitted through the coating by a different mechanism than water is transmitted.

VII. Oxygen transmission is affected by the physical features of the coating, such as its thickness, the presence of cracks, and other physical details of the coating. Water transmission, on the other hand, is believed to commonly be affected by chemical factors, i.e. the material of which the coating is made, more than physical factors. The inventors also believe that at least one of these chemical factors is a substantial concentration of OH moieties in the coating, which leads to a higher transmission rate of water through the barrier. An SiO_(x) coating often contains OH moieties, and thus a physically sound coating containing a high proportion of OH moieties is a better barrier to oxygen than to water. A physically sound carbon-based barrier, such as amorphous carbon or diamond-like carbon (DLC) commonly is a better barrier to water than is a SiO_(x) coating because the carbon-based barrier more commonly has a lower concentration of OH moieties.

VII. Other factors lead to a preference for an SiO_(x) coating, however, such as its oxygen barrier efficacy and its close chemical resemblance to glass and quartz. Glass and quartz (when used as the base material of a vessel) are two materials long known to present a very high barrier to oxygen and water transmission as well as substantial inertness to many materials commonly carried in vessels. Thus, it is commonly desirable to optimize the water barrier properties such as the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of an SiO_(x) coating, rather than choosing a different or additional type of coating to serve as a water transmission barrier.

VII. Several ways contemplated to improve the WVTR of an SiO_(x) coating are as follow.

VII. The concentration ratio of organic moieties (carbon and hydrogen compounds) to OH moieties in the deposited coating can be increased. This can be done, for example, by increasing the proportion of oxygen in the feed gases (as by increasing the oxygen feed rate or by lowering the feed rate of one or more other constituents). The lowered incidence of OH moieties is believed to result from increasing the degree of reaction of the oxygen feed with the hydrogen in the silicone source to yield more volatile water in the PECVD exhaust and a lower concentration of OH moieties trapped or incorporated in the coating.

VII. Higher energy can be applied in the PECVD process, either by raising the plasma generation power level, by applying the power for a longer period, or both. An increase in the applied energy must be employed with care when used to coat a plastic tube or other device, as it also has a tendency to distort the vessel being treated, to the extent the tube absorbs the plasma generation power. This is why RF power is contemplated in the context of present application. Distortion of the medical devices can be reduced or eliminated by employing the energy in a series of two or more pulses separated by cooling time, by cooling the vessels while applying energy, by applying the coating in a shorter time (commonly thus making it thinner), by selecting a frequency of the applied coating that is absorbed minimally by the base material selected for being coated, and/or by applying more than one coating, with time in between the respective energy application steps. For example, high power pulsing can be used with a duty cycle of 1 millisecond on, 99 milliseconds off, while continuing to feed the gaseous reactant or process gas. The gaseous reactant or process gas is then the coolant, as it keeps flowing between pulses. Another alternative is to reconfigure the power applicator, as by adding magnets to confine the plasma increase the effective power application (the power that actually results in incremental coating, as opposed to waste power that results in heating or unwanted coating). This expedient results in the application of more coating-formation energy per total Watt-hour of energy applied. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,952.

VII. An oxygen post-treatment of the coating can be applied to remove OH moieties from the previously-deposited coating. This treatment is also contemplated to remove residual volatile organosilicon compounds or silicones or oxidize the coating to form additional SiO_(x).

VII. The plastic base material tube can be preheated.

VII. A different volatile source of silicon, such as hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ), can be used as part or all of the silicone feed. It is contemplated that changing the feed gas to HMDZ will address the problem because this compound has no oxygen moieties in it, as supplied. It is contemplated that one source of OH moieties in the HMDSO-sourced coating is hydrogenation of at least some of the oxygen atoms present in unreacted HMDSO.

VII. A composite coating can be used, such as a carbon-based coating combined with SiOx. This can be done, for example, by changing the reaction conditions or by adding a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon, such as an alkane, alkene, or alkyne, to the feed gas as well as an organosilicon-based compound. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,952, which states in relevant part: “For example, inclusion of a lower hydrocarbon such as propylene provides carbon moieties and improves most properties of the deposited films (except for light transmission), and bonding analysis indicates the film to be silicon dioxide in nature. Use of methane, methanol, or acetylene, however, produces films that are silicone in nature. The inclusion of a minor amount of gaseous nitrogen to the gas stream provides nitrogen moieties in the deposited films and increases the deposition rate, improves the transmission and reflection optical properties on glass, and varies the index of refraction in response to varied amounts of N2. The addition of nitrous oxide to the gas stream increases the deposition rate and improves the optical properties, but tends to decrease the film hardness.” Suitable hydrocarbons include methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, acetylene, or a combination of two or more of these.

VII. A diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating can be formed as the primary or sole coating deposited. This can be done, for example, by changing the reaction conditions or by feeding methane, hydrogen, and helium to a PECVD process. These reaction feeds have no oxygen, so no OH moieties can be formed. For one example, an SiO_(x) coating can be applied on the interior of a tube or syringe barrel and an outer DLC coating can be applied on the exterior surface of a tube or syringe barrel. Or, the SiO_(x) and DLC coatings can both be applied as a single layer or coating or plural layers of an interior tube or syringe barrel coating.

VII. Referring to FIG. 1 , the barrier or other type of coating 90 reduces the transmission of atmospheric gases into the vessel 80 through its interior surface 88. Or, the barrier or other type of coating 90 reduces the contact of the contents of the vessel 80 with the interior surface 88. The barrier or other type of coating can comprise, for example, SiO_(x), amorphous (for example, diamond-like) carbon, or a combination of these.

VII. Any coating described herein can be used for coating a surface, for example a plastic surface. It can further be used as a barrier layer, for example as a barrier against a gas or liquid, optionally against water vapor, oxygen and/or air. It can also be used for preventing or reducing mechanical and/or chemical effects which the coated surface would have on a compound or composition if the surface were uncoated. For example, it can prevent or reduce the precipitation of a compound or composition, for example insulin precipitation or blood clotting or platelet activation.

VII.A. Coated Vessels

The coatings described herein can be applied to a variety of vessels made from plastic or glass, most prominently to plastic tubes and syringes. A process is contemplated for applying a lubricity layer or coating on a substrate, for example the interior of the barrel of a syringe, comprising applying one of the described precursors on or in the vicinity of a substrate at a thickness of 1 to 5000 nm, or 10 to 1000 nm, or 10 to 500 nm, or 10 to 200 nm, or 20 to 100 nm, or 30 to 1000 nm, or 30 to 500 nm thick, or 30 to 1000 nm, or 20 to 100 nm, or 80 to 150 nm, and crosslinking or polymerizing (or both) the coating, optionally in a PECVD process, to provide a lubricated surface. The coating applied by this process is also contemplated to be new.

A coating of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) as defined in the Definition Section can have utility as a hydrophobic layer. Coatings of this kind are contemplated to be hydrophobic, independent of whether they function as lubricity layers. A coating or treatment is defined as “hydrophobic” if it lowers the wetting tension of a surface, compared to the corresponding uncoated or untreated surface. Hydrophobicity is thus a function of both the untreated substrate and the treatment.

The degree of hydrophobicity of a coating can be varied by varying its composition, properties, or deposition method. For example, a coating of SiOx having little or no hydrocarbon content is more hydrophilic than a coating of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) as defined in the Definition Section. Generally speaking, the higher the C—H_(x) (e.g. CH, CH₂, or CH₃) moiety content of the coating, either by weight, volume, or molarity, relative to its silicon content, the more hydrophobic the coating.

A hydrophobic layer or coating can be very thin, having a thickness of at least 4 nm, or at least 7 nm, or at least 10 nm, or at least 20 nm, or at least 30 nm, or at least 40 nm, or at least 50 nm, or at least 100 nm, or at least 150 nm, or at least 200 nm, or at least 300 nm, or at least 400 nm, or at least 500 nm, or at least 600 nm, or at least 700 nm, or at least 800 nm, or at least 900 nm. The coating can be up to 1000 nm, or at most 900 nm, or at most 800 nm, or at most 700 nm, or at most 600 nm, or at most 500 nm, or at most 400 nm, or at most 300 nm, or at most 200 nm, or at most 100 nm, or at most 90 nm, or at most 80 nm, or at most 70 nm, or at most 60 nm, or at most 50 nm, or at most 40 nm, or at most 30 nm, or at most 20 nm, or at most 10 nm, or at most 5 nm thick. Specific thickness ranges composed of any one of the minimum thicknesses expressed above, plus any equal or greater one of the maximum thicknesses expressed above, are expressly contemplated.

One utility for such a hydrophobic layer or coating is to isolate a thermoplastic tube wall, made for example of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), from blood collected within the tube. The hydrophobic layer or coating can be applied on top of a hydrophilic SiO_(x) coating on the internal surface of the tube. The SiO_(x) coating increases the barrier properties of the thermoplastic tube and the hydrophobic layer or coating changes the surface energy of blood contact surface with the tube wall. The hydrophobic layer or coating can be made by providing a precursor selected from those identified in this specification. For example, the hydrophobic layer or coating precursor can comprise hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) or octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS).

Another use for a hydrophobic layer or coating is to prepare a glass cell preparation tube. The tube has a wall defining a lumen, a hydrophobic layer or coating in the internal surface of the glass wall, and contains a citrate reagent. The hydrophobic layer or coating can be made by providing a precursor selected from those identified elsewhere in this specification. For another example, the hydrophobic layer or coating precursor can comprise hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) or octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS). Another source material for hydrophobic layers is an alkyl trimethoxysilane of the formula: R—Si(OCH₃)₃ in which R is a hydrogen atom or an organic substituent, for example methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, t-butyl, vinyl, alkyne, epoxide, or others. Combinations of two or more of these are also contemplated.

Combinations of acid or base catalysis and heating, using an alkyl trimethoxysilane precursor as described above, can condense the precursor (removing ROH by-products) to form crosslinked polymers, which can optionally be further crosslinked via an alternative method. One specific example is by Shimojima et. al. J. Mater. Chem., 2007, 17, 658-663.

A lubricity layer can be applied as a subsequent coating after applying an SiO_(x) barrier coating to the interior surface 88 of the vessel 80 to provide a lubricity layer, particularly if the lubricity layer or coating is a liquid organosiloxane compound at the end of the coating process.

Optionally, after the lubricity layer or coating is applied, it can be post-cured after the PECVD process. Radiation curing approaches, including UV-initiated (free radial or cationic), electron-beam (E-beam), and thermal as described in Development Of Novel Cycloaliphatic Siloxanes For Thermal And UV-Curable Applications (Ruby Chakraborty Dissertation, can 2008) be utilized.

Another approach for providing a lubricity layer or coating is to use a silicone demolding agent when injection-molding the thermoplastic vessel to be lubricated. For example, it is contemplated that any of the demolding agents and latent monomers causing in-situ thermal lubricity layer or coating formation during the molding process can be used. Or, the aforementioned monomers can be doped into traditional demolding agents to accomplish the same result.

A lubricity layer, is particularly contemplated for the internal surface of a syringe barrel as further described below. A lubricated internal surface of a syringe barrel can reduce the plunger sliding force needed to advance a plunger in the barrel during operation of a syringe, or the breakout force to start a plunger moving after the prefilled syringe plunger has pushed away the intervening lubricant or adhered to the barrel, for example due to decomposition of the lubricant between the plunger and the barrel. As explained elsewhere in this specification, a lubricity layer or coating also can be applied to the interior surface 88 of the vessel 80 to improve adhesion of a subsequent coating of SiO_(x).

Thus, the coating 90 can comprise a layer or coating of SiO_(x) and a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section. The lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) can be deposited between the layer or coating of SiO_(x) and the interior surface of the vessel. Or, the layer or coating of SiO_(x) can be deposited between the lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating and the interior surface of the vessel. Or, three or more layers, either alternating or graduated between these two coating compositions: (1) a layer or coating of SiO_(x) and (2) the lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer; can also be used. The layer or coating of SiO_(x) can be deposited adjacent to the lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating or remotely, with at least one intervening layer or coating of another material. The layer or coating of SiO_(x) can be deposited adjacent to the interior surface of the vessel. Or, the lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating can be deposited adjacent to the interior surface of the vessel.

Another expedient contemplated here, for adjacent layers of SiO_(x) and a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer, is a graded composite of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), as defined in the Definition Section. A graded composite can be separate layers of a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating and SiO_(x) with a transition or interface of intermediate composition between them, or separate layers of a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating and SiO_(x) with an intermediate distinct layer or coating of intermediate composition between them, or a single layer or coating that changes continuously or in steps from a composition of a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating to a composition more like SiO_(x), going through the coating in a normal direction.

The grade in the graded composite can go in either direction. For example, the a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer or coating can be applied directly to the substrate and graduate to a composition further from the surface of SiO_(x). Or, the composition of SiO_(x) can be applied directly to the substrate and graduate to a composition further from the surface of a lubricity layer or coating and/or hydrophobic layer. A graduated coating is particularly contemplated if a coating of one composition is better for adhering to the substrate than the other, in which case the better-adhering composition can, for example, be applied directly to the substrate. It is contemplated that the more distant portions of the graded coating can be less compatible with the substrate than the adjacent portions of the graded coating, since at any point the coating is changing gradually in properties, so adjacent portions at nearly the same depth of the coating have nearly identical composition, and more widely physically separated portions at substantially different depths can have more diverse properties. It is also contemplated that a coating portion that forms a better barrier against transfer of material to or from the substrate can be directly against the substrate, to prevent the more remote coating portion that forms a poorer barrier from being contaminated with the material intended to be barred or impeded by the barrier.

The coating, instead of being graded, optionally can have sharp transitions between one layer or coating and the next, without a substantial gradient of composition. Such coatings can be made, for example, by providing the gases to produce a layer or coating as a steady state flow in a non-plasma state, then energizing the system with a brief plasma discharge to form a coating on the substrate. If a subsequent coating is to be applied, the gases for the previous coating are cleared out and the gases for the next coating are applied in a steady-state fashion before energizing the plasma and again forming a distinct layer or coating on the surface of the substrate or its outermost previous coating, with little if any gradual transition at the interface.

VII.A.1.a. Exemplary Vessels

VII.A.1.a. Referring to FIG. 1 , more details of the vessel such as 80 are shown. The illustrated vessel 80 can be generally tubular, having an opening 82 at one end of the vessel, opposed by a closed end 84. The vessel 80 also has a wall 86 defining an interior surface 88. One example of the vessel 80 is a medical sample tube, such as an evacuated blood collection tube, as commonly is used by a phlebotomist for receiving a venipuncture sample of a patient's blood for use in a medical laboratory.

VII.A.1.a. The vessel 80 can be made, for example, of thermoplastic material. Some examples of suitable thermoplastic material are polyethylene terephthalate or a polyolefin such as polypropylene or a cyclic polyolefin copolymer.

VII.A.1.a. The vessel 80 can be made by any suitable method, such as by injection molding, by blow molding, by machining, by fabrication from tubing stock, or by other suitable means. PECVD can be used to form a coating on the internal surface of SiO_(x).

VII.A.1.a. If intended for use as an evacuated blood collection tube, the vessel 80 desirably can be strong enough to withstand a substantially total internal vacuum substantially without deformation when exposed to an external pressure of 760 Torr or atmospheric pressure and other coating processing conditions. This property can be provided, in a thermoplastic vessel 80, by providing a vessel 80 made of suitable materials having suitable dimensions and a glass transition temperature higher than the processing temperature of the coating process, for example a cylindrical wall 86 having sufficient wall thickness for its diameter and material.

VII.A.1.a. Medical vessels or containers like sample collection tubes and syringes are relatively small and are injection molded with relatively thick walls, which renders them able to be evacuated without being crushed by the ambient atmospheric pressure. They are thus stronger than carbonated soft drink bottles or other larger or thinner-walled plastic containers. Since sample collection tubes designed for use as evacuated vessels typically are constructed to withstand a full vacuum during storage, they can be used as vacuum chambers.

VII.A.1.a. Such adaptation of the vessels to be their own vacuum chambers might eliminate the need to place the vessels into a vacuum chamber for PECVD treatment, which typically is carried out at very low pressure. The use of a vessel as its own vacuum chamber can result in faster processing time (since loading and unloading of the parts from a separate vacuum chamber is not necessary) and can lead to simplified equipment configurations. Furthermore, a vessel holder is contemplated, for certain embodiments, that will hold the device (for alignment to gas tubes and other apparatus), seal the device (so that the vacuum can be created by attaching the vessel holder to a vacuum pump) and move the device between molding and subsequent processing steps.

VII.A.1.a. A vessel 80 used as an evacuated blood collection tube should be able to withstand external atmospheric pressure, while internally evacuated to a reduced pressure useful for the intended application, without a substantial volume of air or other atmospheric gas leaking into the tube (as by bypassing the closure) or permeating through the wall 86 during its shelf life. If the as-molded vessel 80 cannot meet this requirement, it can be processed by coating the interior surface 88 with a barrier or other type of coating 90. It is desirable to treat and/or coat the interior surfaces of these devices (such as sample collection tubes and syringe barrels) to impart various properties that will offer advantages over existing polymeric devices and/or to mimic existing glass products. It is also desirable to measure various properties of the devices before and/or after treatment or coating.

Further exemplary vessels are the syringes described herein.

VII.A.1.b. Vessel Having Wall Coated With Hydrophobic Coating

VII.A.1.b. Another embodiment is a vessel having a wall provided with a hydrophobic layer or coating on its inside surface and containing an aqueous sodium citrate reagent. The hydrophobic layer or coating can be also be applied on top of a hydrophilic SiO_(x) coating on the internal surface of the vessel. The SiO_(x) coating increases the barrier properties of the plastic vessel and the hydrophobic layer or coating changes the surface energy of the contact surface of the composition or compound inside the vessel with the vessel wall.

VII.A.1.b. The wall is made of thermoplastic material having an internal surface defining a lumen.

VII.A.1.b. A vessel according to the embodiment VII.A.1.b can have a first layer or coating of SiO_(x) on the internal surface of the tube, applied as explained in this specification, to function as an oxygen barrier and extend the shelf life of an evacuated blood collection tube made of thermoplastic material. A second layer or coating of a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, can then be applied over the barrier layer or coating on the internal surface of the vessel to provide a hydrophobic surface. In a blood collection tube or syringe, the coating optionally is effective to reduce the platelet activation of blood plasma treated with a sodium citrate additive and exposed to the inner surface, compared to the same type of wall uncoated.

VII.A.1.b. PECVD is used to form a hydrophobic layer or coating on the internal surface. Unlike conventional citrate blood collection tubes, a blood collection tube having a hydrophobic layer as defined herein does not require a coating of baked on silicone on the vessel wall, as is conventionally applied to make the surface of the tube hydrophobic.

VII.A.1.b. Both layers can be applied using the same precursor, for example HMDSO or OMCTS, and different PECVD reaction conditions.

VII.A.1.b. When preparing a blood collection tube or syringe, a sodium citrate anticoagulation reagent may then be placed within the tube and it is evacuated and sealed with a closure to produce an evacuated blood collection tube. The components and formulation of the reagent are known to those skilled in the art. The aqueous sodium citrate reagent is disposed in the lumen of the tube in an amount effective to inhibit coagulation of blood introduced into the tube.

VII.A.1.c. SiO_(x) Barrier Coated Double Wall Plastic Vessel—COC, PET, SiO_(x) Layers

VII.A.1.c. Another embodiment is a vessel having a wall at least partially enclosing a lumen. The wall has an interior polymer layer or coating enclosed by an exterior polymer layer. One of the polymer layers is a layer or coating at least 0.1 mm thick of a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) resin defining a water vapor barrier. Another of the polymer layers is a layer or coating at least 0.1 mm thick of a polyester resin.

VII.A.1.c. The wall includes an oxygen barrier layer or coating of SiO_(x) having a thickness of from about 10 to about 500 angstroms.

VII.A.1.c. In an embodiment, the vessel 80 can be a double-walled vessel having an inner wall 408 and an outer wall 410, respectively made of the same or different materials. One particular embodiment of this type can be made with one wall molded from a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and the other wall molded from a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), with an SiO_(x) coating as previously described on the interior surface 412. As needed, a tie coating or layer or coating can be inserted between the inner and outer walls to promote adhesion between them. An advantage of this wall construction is that walls having different properties can be combined to form a composite having the respective properties of each wall.

VII.A.1.c. As one example, the inner wall 408 can be made of PET coated on the interior surface 412 with an SiO_(x) barrier layer, and the outer wall 410 can be made of COC. PET coated with SiO_(x), as shown elsewhere in this specification, is an excellent oxygen barrier, while COC is an excellent barrier for water vapor, providing a low water vapor transition rate (WVTR). This composite vessel can have superior barrier properties for both oxygen and water vapor. This construction is contemplated, for example, for an evacuated medical sample collection tube that contains an aqueous reagent as manufactured, and has a substantial shelf life, so it should have a barrier preventing transfer of water vapor outward or transfer of oxygen or other gases inward through its composite wall during its shelf life.

VII.A.1.c. As another example, the inner wall 408 can be made of COC coated on the interior surface 412 with an SiO_(x) barrier layer, and the outer wall 410 can be made of PET. This construction is contemplated, for example, for a prefilled syringe that contains an aqueous sterile fluid as manufactured. The SiO_(x) barrier will prevent oxygen from entering the syringe through its wall. The COC inner wall will prevent ingress or egress of other materials such as water, thus preventing the water in the aqueous sterile fluid from leaching materials from the wall material into the syringe. The COC inner wall is also contemplated to prevent water derived from the aqueous sterile fluid from passing out of the syringe (thus undesirably concentrating the aqueous sterile fluid), and will prevent non-sterile water or other fluids outside the syringe from entering through the syringe wall and causing the contents to become non-sterile. The COC inner wall is also contemplated to be useful for decreasing the breaking force or friction of the plunger against the inner wall of a syringe.

VII.A.1.d. Method of Making Double Wall Plastic Vessel—COC, PET, SiO_(x) Layers

VII.A.1.d. Another embodiment is a method of making a vessel having a wall having an interior polymer layer or coating enclosed by an exterior polymer layer, one layer or coating made of COC and the other made of polyester. The vessel is made by a process including introducing COC and polyester resin layers into an injection mold through concentric injection nozzles.

VII.A.1.d. An optional additional step is applying an amorphous carbon coating to the vessel by PECVD, as an inside coating, an outside coating, or as an interlayer or coating coating located between the layers.

VII.A.1.d. An optional additional step is applying an SiO_(x) barrier layer or coating to the inside of the vessel wall, where SiO_(x) is defined as before. Another optional additional step is post-treating the SiO_(x) layer or coating with a gaseous reactant or process gas consisting essentially of oxygen and essentially free of a volatile silicon compound.

VII.A.1.d. Optionally, the SiO_(x) coating can be formed at least partially from a silazane feed gas.

VII.A.1.d. The vessel 80 can be made from the inside out, for one example, by injection molding the inner wall in a first mold cavity, then removing the core and molded inner wall from the first mold cavity to a second, larger mold cavity, then injection molding the outer wall against the inner wall in the second mold cavity. Optionally, a tie layer or coating can be provided to the exterior surface of the molded inner wall before over-molding the outer wall onto the tie layer.

VII.A.1.d. Or, the vessel 80 can be made from the outside in, for one example, by inserting a first core in the mold cavity, injection molding the outer wall in the mold cavity, then removing the first core from the molded first wall and inserting a second, smaller core, then injection molding the inner wall against the outer wall still residing in the mold cavity. Optionally, a tie layer or coating can be provided to the interior surface of the molded outer wall before over-molding the inner wall onto the tie layer.

VII.A.1.d. Or, the vessel 80 can be made in a two shot mold. This can be done, for one example, by injection molding material for the inner wall from an inner nozzle and the material for the outer wall from a concentric outer nozzle. Optionally, a tie layer or coating can be provided from a third, concentric nozzle disposed between the inner and outer nozzles. The nozzles can feed the respective wall materials simultaneously. One useful expedient is to begin feeding the outer wall material through the outer nozzle slightly before feeding the inner wall material through the inner nozzle. If there is an intermediate concentric nozzle, the order of flow can begin with the outer nozzle and continue in sequence from the intermediate nozzle and then from the inner nozzle. Or, the order of beginning feeding can start from the inside nozzle and work outward, in reverse order compared to the preceding description.

VII.A.1.e. Vessel or Coating Made Of Glass

VII.A.1.e. Another embodiment is a vessel including a vessel, a barrier coating, and a closure. The vessel is generally tubular and made of thermoplastic material. The vessel has a mouth and a lumen bounded at least in part by a wall having an inner surface interfacing with the lumen. There is an at least essentially continuous barrier coating made of glass on the inner surface of the wall. A closure covers the mouth and isolates the lumen of the vessel from ambient air.

VII.A.1.e. The vessel 80 can also be made, for example of glass of any type used in medical or laboratory applications, such as soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, or other glass formulations. Other vessels having any shape or size, made of any material, are also contemplated for use in the system 20. One function of coating a glass vessel can be to reduce the ingress of ions in the glass, either intentionally or as impurities, for example sodium, calcium, or others, from the glass to the contents of the vessel, such as a reagent or blood in an evacuated blood collection tube. Another function of coating a glass vessel in whole or in part, such as selectively at surfaces contacted in sliding relation to other parts, is to provide lubricity to the coating, for example to ease the insertion or removal of a stopper or passage of a sliding element such as a piston in a syringe. Still another reason to coat a glass vessel is to prevent a reagent or intended sample for the vessel, such as blood, from sticking to the wall of the vessel or an increase in the rate of coagulation of the blood in contact with the wall of the vessel.

VII.A.1.e.i. A related embodiment is a vessel as described in the previous paragraph, in which the barrier coating is made of soda lime glass, borosilicate glass, or another type of glass.

VII.A.2. Stoppers

VII.A.2. FIGS. 5-7 illustrate a vessel 268, which can be an evacuated blood collection tube, having a closure 270 to isolate the lumen 274 from the ambient environment. The closure 270 comprises a interior-facing surface 272 exposed to the lumen 274 of the vessel 268 and a wall-contacting surface 276 that is in contact with the inner surface 278 of the vessel wall 280. In the illustrated embodiment the closure 270 is an assembly of a stopper 282 and a shield 284.

VII.A.2.a. Method of Applying Lubricity layer or coating to Stopper In Vacuum Chamber

VII.A.2.a. Another embodiment is a method of applying a coating on an elastomeric stopper such as 282. The stopper 282, separate from the vessel 268, is placed in a substantially evacuated chamber. A reaction mixture is provided including plasma forming gas, i.e. an organosilicon compound gas, optionally an oxidizing gas, and optionally a hydrocarbon gas. Plasma is formed in the reaction mixture, which is contacted with the stopper. A lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, is deposited on at least a portion of the stopper.

VII.A.2.a. In the illustrated embodiment, the wall-contacting surface 276 of the closure 270 is coated with a lubricity layer or coating 286.

VII.A.2.a. In some embodiments, the lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, is effective to reduce the transmission of one or more constituents of the stopper, such as a metal ion constituent of the stopper, or of the vessel wall, into the vessel lumen. Certain elastomeric compositions of the type useful for fabricating a stopper 282 contain trace amounts of one or more metal ions. These ions sometimes should not be able to migrate into the lumen 274 or come in substantial quantities into contact with the vessel contents, particularly if the sample vessel 268 is to be used to collect a sample for trace metal analysis. It is contemplated for example that coatings containing relatively little organic content, i.e. where y and z of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) as defined in the Definition Section are low or zero, are particularly useful as a metal ion barrier in this application. Regarding silica as a metal ion barrier see, for example, Anupama Mallikarjunan, Jasbir Juneja, Guangrong Yang, Shyam P. Murarka, and Toh-Ming Lu, The Effect of Interfacial Chemistry on Metal Ion Penetration into Polymeric Films, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., Vol. 734, pp. B9.60.1 to B9.60.6 (Materials Research Society, 2003); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,578,103 and 6,200,658, and European Appl. EP0697378 A2, which are all incorporated here by reference. It is contemplated, however, that some organic content can be useful to provide a more elastic coating and to adhere the coating to the elastomeric surface of the stopper 282.

VII.A.2.a. In some embodiments, the lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, can be a composite of material having first and second layers, in which the first or inner layer or coating 288 interfaces with the elastomeric stopper 282 and is effective to reduce the transmission of one or more constituents of the stopper 282 into the vessel lumen. The second layer or coating 286 can interface with the inner wall 280 of the vessel and is effective as a lubricity layer or coating to reduce friction between the stopper 282 and the inner wall 280 of the vessel when the stopper 282 is seated on or in the vessel 268. Such composites are described in connection with syringe coatings elsewhere in this specification.

VII.A.2.a. Or, the first and second layers 288 and 286 are defined by a coating of graduated properties, in which the values of y and z defined in the Definition Section are greater in the first layer or coating than in the second layer.

VII.A.2.a. The lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer or coating can be applied, for example, by PECVD substantially as previously described. The lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer or coating can be, for example, between 0.5 and 5000 nm (5 to 50,000 Angstroms) thick, or between 1 and 5000 nm thick, or between 5 and 5000 nm thick, or between 10 and 5000 nm thick, or between 20 and 5000 nm thick, or between 50 and 5000 nm thick, or between 100 and 5000 nm thick, or between 200 and 5000 nm thick, or between 500 and 5000 nm thick, or between 1000 and 5000 nm thick, or between 2000 and 5000 nm thick, or between 3000 and 5000 nm thick, or between 4000 and 10,000 nm thick.

VII.A.2.a. Certain advantages are contemplated for plasma coated lubricity layers, versus the much thicker (one micron or greater) conventional spray applied silicone lubricants. Plasma coatings have a much lower migratory potential to move into blood versus sprayed or micron-coated silicones, both because the amount of plasma coated material is much less and because it can be more intimately applied to the coated surface and better bonded in place.

VII.A.2.a. Nanocoatings, as applied by PECVD, are contemplated to offer lower resistance to sliding of an adjacent surface or flow of an adjacent fluid than micron coatings, as the plasma coating tends to provide a smoother surface.

VII.A.2.a. Still another embodiment is a method of applying a coating of a lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer or coating on an elastomeric stopper. The stopper can be used, for example, to close the vessel previously described. The method includes several parts. A stopper is placed in a substantially evacuated chamber. A reaction mixture is provided comprising plasma forming gas, i.e. an organosilicon compound gas, optionally an oxidizing gas, and optionally a hydrocarbon gas. Plasma is formed in the reaction mixture. The stopper is contacted with the reaction mixture, depositing the coating of a lubricity and/or hydrophobic layer or coating on at least a portion of the stopper.

VII.A.2.a. In practicing this method, to obtain higher values of y and z as defined in the Definition Section, it is contemplated that the reaction mixture can comprise a hydrocarbon gas, as further described above and below. Optionally, the reaction mixture can contain oxygen, if lower values of y and z or higher values of x are contemplated. Or, particularly to reduce oxidation and increase the values of y and z, the reaction mixture can be essentially free of an oxidizing gas.

VII.A.2.a. In practicing this method to coat certain embodiments of the stopper such as the stopper 282, it is contemplated to be unnecessary to project the reaction mixture into the concavities of the stopper. For example, the wall-contacting and interior facing surfaces 276 and 272 of the stopper 282 are essentially convex, and thus readily treated by a batch process in which a multiplicity of stoppers such as 282 can be located and treated in a single substantially evacuated reaction chamber. It is further contemplated that in some embodiments the coatings 286 and 288 do not need to present as formidable a barrier to oxygen or water as the barrier coating on the interior surface 280 of the vessel 268, as the material of the stopper 282 can serve this function to a large degree.

VII.A.2.a. Many variations of the stopper and the stopper coating process are contemplated. The stopper 282 can be contacted with the plasma. Or, the plasma can be formed upstream of the stopper 282, producing plasma product, and the plasma product can be contacted with the stopper 282. The plasma can be formed by exciting the reaction mixture with electromagnetic energy and/or microwave energy.

VII.A.2.a. Variations of the reaction mixture are contemplated. The plasma forming gas can include an inert gas, also referred to herein as a carrier gas. The inert gas can be, for example, argon, helium, xenon, neon, krypton, or any mixture of two or more of these. In particular, the inert gas can be neon, argon or helium. The organosilicon compound gas can be, or include, HMDSO, OMCTS, any of the other organosilicon compounds mentioned in this disclosure, or a combination of two or more of these. The oxidizing gas can be oxygen or the other gases mentioned in this disclosure, or a combination of two or more of these. The hydrocarbon gas can be, for example, methane, methanol, ethane, ethylene, ethanol, propane, propylene, propanol, acetylene, or a combination of two or more of these.

VII.A.2.b. Applying by PECVD a Coating of Group III or IV Element and Carbon on a Stopper

VII.A.2.b. Another embodiment is a method of applying a coating of a composition including carbon and one or more elements of Groups III or IV on an elastomeric stopper. To carry out the method, a stopper is located in a deposition chamber.

VII.A.2.b. A reaction mixture is provided in the deposition chamber, including a plasma forming gas with a gaseous source of a Group III element, a Group IV element, or a combination of two or more of these. The reaction mixture optionally contains an oxidizing gas and optionally contains a gaseous compound having one or more C—H bonds. Plasma is formed in the reaction mixture, and the stopper is contacted with the reaction mixture. A coating of a Group III element or compound, a Group IV element or compound, or a combination of two or more of these is deposited on at least a portion of the stopper.

VII.A.3. Stoppered Plastic Vessel Having Barrier Coating Effective To Provide 95% Vacuum Retention for 24 Months

VII.A.3. Another embodiment is a vessel including a vessel, a barrier coating, and a closure. The vessel is generally tubular and made of thermoplastic material. The vessel has a mouth and a lumen bounded at least in part by a wall. The wall has an inner surface interfacing with the lumen. An at least essentially continuous barrier coating is applied on the inner surface of the wall. The barrier coating is effective to provide a substantial shelf life. A closure is provided covering the mouth of the vessel and isolating the lumen of the vessel from ambient air.

VII.A.3. Referring to FIGS. 5-7 , a vessel 268 such as an evacuated blood collection tube or other vessel is shown.

VII.A.3. The vessel is, in this embodiment, a generally tubular vessel having an at least essentially continuous barrier coating and a closure. The vessel is made of thermoplastic material having a mouth and a lumen bounded at least in part by a wall having an inner surface interfacing with the lumen. The barrier coating is deposited on the inner surface of the wall, and is effective to maintain at least 95%, or at least 90%, of the initial vacuum level of the vessel for a shelf life of at least 24 months, optionally at least 30 months, optionally at least 36 months. The closure covers the mouth of the vessel and isolates the lumen of the vessel from ambient air.

VII.A.3. The closure, for example the closure 270 illustrated in the Figures or another type of closure, is provided to maintain a partial vacuum and/or to contain a sample and limit or prevent its exposure to oxygen or contaminants. FIGS. 5-7 are based on figures found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,206, but the present discovery is not limited to that or any other particular type of closure.

VII.A.3. The closure 270 comprises a interior-facing surface 272 exposed to the lumen 274 of the vessel 268 and a wall-contacting surface 276 that is in contact with the inner surface 278 of the vessel wall 280. In the illustrated embodiment the closure 270 is an assembly of a stopper 282 and a shield 284.

VII.A.3. In the illustrated embodiment, the stopper 282 defines the wall-contacting surface 276 and the inner surface 278, while the shield is largely or entirely outside the stoppered vessel 268, retains and provides a grip for the stopper 282, and shields a person removing the closure 270 from being exposed to any contents expelled from the vessel 268, such as due to a pressure difference inside and outside of the vessel 268 when the vessel 268 is opened and air rushes in or out to equalize the pressure difference.

VII.A.3. It is further contemplated that the coatings on the vessel wall 280 and the wall contacting surface 276 of the stopper can be coordinated. The stopper can be coated with a lubricity silicone layer, and the vessel wall 280, made for example of PET or glass, can be coated with a harder SiO_(x) layer, or with an underlying SiO_(x) layer or coating and a lubricity overcoat.

VII.B. Syringes

VII.B. The foregoing description has largely addressed applying a barrier coating to a tube with one permanently closed end, such as a blood collection tube or, more generally, a specimen receiving tube 80. The apparatus is not limited to such a device.

VII.B. Another example of a suitable vessel, shown in FIG. 20 , is a syringe barrel 250 for a medical syringe 252. Such syringes 252 are sometimes supplied prefilled with saline solution, a pharmaceutical preparation, or the like for use in medical techniques. Pre-filled syringes 252 are also contemplated to benefit from an SiO_(x) barrier or other type of coating on the interior surface 254 to keep the contents of the prefilled syringe 252 out of contact with the plastic of the syringe, for example of the syringe barrel 250 during storage. The barrier or other type of coating can be used to avoid leaching components of the plastic into the contents of the barrel through the interior surface 254.

VII.B. A syringe barrel 250 as molded commonly can be open at both the back end 256, to receive a plunger 258, and at the front end 260, to receive a hypodermic needle, a nozzle, or tubing for dispensing the contents of the syringe 252 or for receiving material into the syringe 252. But the front end 260 can optionally be capped and the plunger 258 optionally can be fitted in place before the prefilled syringe 252 is used, closing the barrel 250 at both ends. A cap 262 can be installed either for the purpose of processing the syringe barrel 250 or assembled syringe, or to remain in place during storage of the prefilled syringe 252, up to the time the cap 262 is removed and (optionally) a hypodermic needle or other delivery conduit is fitted on the front end 260 to prepare the syringe 252 for use.

Another example of a suitable vessel, shown in 24-26, is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a staked needle (a “staked needle syringe”). The needle is hollow with a typical size ranging from 18-29 gauge. The syringe barrel has an interior surface slidably receiving the plunger. The staked needle may be affixed to the syringe during the injection molding of the syringe or may be assembled to the formed syringe using an adhesive. A cover is placed over the staked needle to seal the syringe assembly. The syringe assembly must be sealed so that a vacuum can be maintained within the syringe to enable the PECVD coating process.

The needle of the staked needle syringe has an outside surface, a delivery outlet at one end, a base at the other end, and an internal passage extending from the base to the delivery outlet. The barrel has a, for example generally cylindrical, interior surface defining a lumen. The barrel also has a front passage molded around and in fluid-sealing contact with the outside surface of the needle.

The syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment optionally can further include a cap configured to isolate the delivery outlet of the needle from ambient air.

The cap of any “staked needle” embodiment optionally can further include a lumen having an opening defined by a rim and sized to receive the delivery outlet, and the rim can be seatable against an exterior portion of the barrel.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the barrel optionally can further include a generally hemispheric interior surface portion adjacent to its front passage.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the base of the needle optionally can be at least substantially flush with the hemispheric interior surface portion of the barrel.

The syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment optionally can further include a PECVD-applied barrier coating on at least the hemispheric interior surface portion of the barrel.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the barrier coating optionally can extend over at least a portion of the generally cylindrical interior surface portion of the barrel.

In the syringe of any “staked needle” embodiment, the barrier coating optionally can form a barrier between the base of the needle and the generally cylindrical interior surface portion of the barrel.

In the “staked needle” embodiment of FIG. 24 , the cap 7126 is held in place on the nose 71110 of the syringe 7120 by a conventional Luer lock arrangement. The tapered nose 71110 of the syringe mates with a corresponding tapered throat 71112 of the cap 7126, and the syringe has a collar 71114 with an interior thread 71116 receiving the dogs 71118 and 71120 of the cap 7126 to lock the tapers 71110 and 71112 together. The cap 7126 can be substantially rigid.

Referring now to FIGS. 25A, 25B, AND 25C, a variation on the syringe barrel 71122 and cap 71124 of the “staked needle” embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the cap 71124 includes a flexible lip seal 7172 at its base to form a moisture-tight seal with the syringe barrel 71122.

Optionally in the “staked needle” embodiments of FIGS. 24 and 25 , the caps 7126 and 71124 can withstand vacuum during the PECVD coating process. The caps 7126 and 71124 can be made of LDPE. Alternative rigid plastic materials can be used as well, for example polypropylene. Additional sealing elements can be provided as well.

In another option of the “staked needle” embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 26 , the cap 71126 is flexible, and is designed to seal around the top end of the syringe 7120. A deformable material—like a rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) can be used for the cap 71126. Preferred TPE materials include fluoroelastomers, and in particular, medical grade fluoroelastomers. Examples include VITON® and TECHNOFLON®. VITON® is preferable in some embodiments. An example of a suitable rubber is EPDM rubber.

During molding, in certain “staked needle” embodiments (illustrated for example in FIG. 26 ) a small amount of the cap material 71132 will be drawn into the tip or delivery outlet 7134 of the needle 7122 to create a seal. The material 71132 should have a durometer such as to permit an appropriate amount of material to be drawn into the needle 7122, and to cause the material drawn into the needle 7122 to continue to adhere to the cap 71126 when it is removed, unplugging the needle 7122 for use.

In other “staked needle” embodiments, the cap material 71132 can block the delivery outlet 7134 of the needle 7122 without being drawn into the delivery outlet 7134. Suitable material selection to accomplish the desired purposes is within the capabilities of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

An additional seal can be created by coupling an undercut 71134 formed in the syringe barrel and projections 71138 in the interior of the cap 71126, defining a coupling to retain the cap 71126. Alternative “staked needle” embodiments can include either one or both of the seals described above.

Optionally, with reference to FIGS. 25A, 25B, AND 25C, the cap 71124 can have a base 7168 and a coupling 7170 configured for securing the cap 7126 in a seated position on the barrel. Alternatively or in addition, a flexible lip seal 7172 can optionally be provided at the base 7168 of the cap 71124 for seating against the barrel 71122 when the cap 71124 is secured on the barrel 71122.

Optionally, referring now to FIG. 26 , the delivery outlet 7134 of the needle 7122 can be seated on the cap 71126 when the cap 7126 is secured on the barrel. This expedient is useful for sealing the delivery outlet 7134 against the ingress or egress of air or other fluids, when that is desired.

Optionally, in the “staked needle” embodiment the coupling 7170 can include a detent or groove 7174 on one of the barrel 71122 and the cap 71124 and a projection or rib 76 on the other of the barrel 71122 and the cap 71124, the projection 7176 being adapted to mate with the detent 7174 when the cap 7126 is in its seated position on the barrel. In one contemplated embodiment, a detent 7174 can be on the barrel and a projection 7176 can be on the cap 7126. In another contemplated embodiment, a detent 7174 can be on the cap 7126 and a projection 7176 can be on the barrel. In yet another contemplated embodiment, a first detent 7174 can be on the barrel and a first projection 7176 mating with the detent 7174 can be on the cap 7126, while a second detent 7175 can be on the cap 7126 and the mating second projection 7177 can be on the barrel. A detent 7174 can be molded in the syringe barrel as an undercut by incorporating side draws such as 7192 and 7194 in the mold. The detents 7174 mate with the complementary projections 7176 to assemble (snap) the cap 7126 onto the syringe 7120. In this respect the cap 7126 is desirably flexible enough to allow sufficient deformation for a snapping engagement of the detents 7174 and projections 7176.

The caps in the “staked needle” embodiment such as 7126, 71124, and 71126 can be injection molded or otherwise formed, for example from thermoplastic material. Several examples of suitable thermoplastic material are a polyolefin, for example a cyclic olefin polymer (COP), a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), polypropylene, or polyethylene. The cap 7126 can contain or be made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or other elastomeric material. The cap 7126 can also be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate resin, or any other suitable material. Optionally, a material for the cap 7126 can be selected that can withstand vacuum and maintain sterility within the syringe 7120.

Typically, when the syringe barrel is coated, the PECVD coating methods described herein are performed such that the coated substrate surface is part or all of the inner surface of the barrel, the gas for the PECVD reaction fills the interior lumen of the barrel, and the plasma is generated within part or all of the interior lumen of the barrel.

VII.B.1.a. Syringe Having Barrel Coated with Lubricity Layer

VII.B.1.a. A syringe having a lubricity layer of the type can be made by the following process.

VII.B.1.a. A precursor is provided as defined above.

VII.B.1.a. The precursor is applied to a substrate under conditions effective to form a coating. The coating is polymerized or crosslinked, or both, to form a lubricated surface having a lower plunger sliding force or breakout force than the untreated substrate.

VII.B.1.a. Respecting any of the Embodiments VII and sub-parts, optionally the applying step is carried out by vaporizing the precursor and providing it in the vicinity of the substrate.

VII.B.1.a. A plasma, is formed in the vicinity of the substrate. Optionally, the precursor is provided in the substantial absence of nitrogen. Optionally, the precursor is provided at less than 1 Torr absolute pressure. Optionally, the precursor is provided to the vicinity of a plasma emission. Optionally, the precursor its reaction product is applied to the substrate at an average thickness of 1 to 5000 nm, or 10 to 1000 nm, or 10 to 500 nm, or 10 to 200 nm, or 20 to 100 nm, or 30 to 1000 nm, or 30 to 500 nm, or 30 to 1000 nm, or 20 to 100 nm, or 80 to 150 nm thick. Optionally, the substrate comprises glass. Optionally, the substrate comprises a polymer, optionally a polycarbonate polymer, optionally an olefin polymer, optionally a cyclic olefin copolymer, optionally a polypropylene polymer, optionally a polyester polymer, optionally a polyethylene terephthalate polymer. COC is particularly considered for syringes and syringe barrels.

VII.B.1.a. Optionally, the plasma is generated by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes powered, for example, at a RF frequency as defined above, for example a frequency of from 10 kHz to less than 300 MHz, optionally from 1 to 50 MHz, even optionally from 10 to 15 MHz, optionally a frequency of 13.56 MHz.

VII.B.1.a. Optionally, the plasma is generated by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes supplied with an electric power of from 0.1 to 25 W, optionally from 1 to 22 W, optionally from 3 to 17 W, even optionally from 5 to 14 W, optionally from 7 to 11 W, optionally 8 W. The ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume can be less than 10 W/ml, optionally is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 5 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 4 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 2 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml. Low power levels are believed by the inventors to be most advantageous (e.g. power levels of from 2 to 3.5 W and the power levels given in the Examples) to prepare a lubricity coating. These power levels are suitable for applying lubricity layers to syringes and sample tubes and vessels of similar geometry having a void volume of 1 to 3 mL in which PECVD plasma is generated. It is contemplated that for larger or smaller objects the power applied should be increased or reduced accordingly to scale the process to the size of the substrate.

VII.B.1.a. Another embodiment is a lubricity coating of the present invention on the inner wall of a syringe barrel. The coating is produced from a PECVD process using the following materials and conditions. A cyclic precursor is optionally employed, selected from a monocyclic siloxane, a polycyclic siloxane, or a combination of two or more of these, as defined elsewhere in this specification for lubricity layers. One example of a suitable cyclic precursor comprises octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), optionally mixed with other precursor materials in any proportion. Optionally, the cyclic precursor consists essentially of octamethycyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), meaning that other precursors can be present in amounts which do not change the basic and novel properties of the resulting lubricity layer, i.e. its reduction of the plunger sliding force or breakout force of the coated surface.

VII.B.1.a. A sufficient plasma generation power input, for example any power level successfully used in one or more working examples of this specification or described in the specification, is provided to induce coating formation.

VII.B.1.a. The materials and conditions employed are effective to reduce the syringe plunger sliding force or breakout force moving through the syringe barrel at least 25 percent, alternatively at least 45 percent, alternatively at least 60 percent, alternatively greater than 60 percent, relative to an uncoated syringe barrel. Ranges of plunger sliding force or breakout force reduction of from 20 to 95 percent, alternatively from 30 to 80 percent, alternatively from 40 to 75 percent, alternatively from 60 to 70 percent, are contemplated.

VII.B.1.a. Another embodiment is a vessel having a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, on the inside wall. The coating is made as explained for the lubricant coating of similar composition, but under conditions effective to form a hydrophobic surface having a higher contact angle than the untreated substrate.

VII.B.1.a. Respecting any of the Embodiments VII.A.1.a.ii, optionally the substrate comprises glass or a polymer. The glass optionally is borosilicate glass. The polymer is optionally a polycarbonate polymer, optionally an olefin polymer, optionally a cyclic olefin copolymer, optionally a polypropylene polymer, optionally a polyester polymer, optionally a polyethylene terephthalate polymer.

VII.B.1.a. Another embodiment is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a lubricity layer. The syringe barrel includes an interior surface receiving the plunger for sliding. The lubricity layer or coating is disposed on part or all of the interior surface of the syringe barrel. The lubricity layer or coating optionally can be less than 1000 nm thick and effective to reduce the breakout force or the plunger sliding force necessary to move the plunger within the barrel. Reducing the plunger sliding force is alternatively expressed as reducing the coefficient of sliding friction of the plunger within the barrel or reducing the plunger force; these terms are regarded as having the same meaning in this specification.

VII.B.1.a. The syringe 544 comprises a plunger 546 and a syringe barrel 548. The syringe barrel 548 has an interior surface 552 receiving the plunger for sliding 546. The interior surface 552 of the syringe barrel 548 further comprises a lubricity layer or coating 554. The lubricity layer or coating is less than 1000 nm thick, optionally less than 500 nm thick, optionally less than 200 nm thick, optionally less than 100 nm thick, optionally less than 50 nm thick, and is effective to reduce the breakout force necessary to overcome adhesion of the plunger after storage or the plunger sliding force necessary to move the plunger within the barrel after it has broken away. The lubricity layer or coating is characterized by having a plunger sliding force or breakout force lower than that of the uncoated surface.

VII.B.1.a. Any of the above precursors of any type can be used alone or in combinations of two or more of them to provide a lubricity layer.

VII.B.1.a. In addition to utilizing vacuum processes, low temperature atmospheric (non-vacuum) plasma processes can also be utilized to induce molecular ionization and deposition through precursor monomer vapor delivery optionally in a non-oxidizing atmosphere such as helium or argon. Separately, thermal CVD can be considered via flash thermolysis deposition.

VII.B.1.a. The approaches above are similar to vacuum PECVD in that the surface coating and crosslinking mechanisms can occur simultaneously.

VII.B.1.a. Yet another expedient contemplated for any coating or coatings described here is a coating that is not uniformly applied over the entire interior 88 of a vessel. For example, a different or additional coating can be applied selectively to the cylindrical portion of the vessel interior, compared to the hemispherical portion of the vessel interior at its closed end 84, or vice versa. This expedient is particularly contemplated for a syringe barrel or a sample collection tube as described below, in which a lubricity layer or coating might be provided on part or all of the cylindrical portion of the barrel, where the plunger or piston or closure slides, and not elsewhere.

VII.B.1.a. Optionally, the precursor can be provided in the presence, substantial absence, or absence of nitrogen. In one contemplated embodiment, the precursor alone is delivered to the substrate and subjected to PECVD to apply and cure the coating.

VII.B.1.a. Optionally, the precursor can be provided at less than 1 Torr absolute pressure.

VII.B.1.a. Optionally, the precursor can be provided to the vicinity of a plasma emission.

VII.B.1.a. In any of the above embodiments, the substrate can comprise glass, or a polymer, for example one or more of a polycarbonate polymer, an olefin polymer (for example a cyclic olefin copolymer or a polypropylene polymer), or a polyester polymer (for example, a polyethylene terephthalate polymer).

VII.B.1.a. In any of the above embodiments, the plasma is generated by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes powered at a RF frequency as defined in this description.

VII.B.1.a. In any of the above embodiments, the plasma is generated by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes supplied with sufficient electric power to generate a lubricity layer. Optionally, the plasma is generated by energizing the gaseous reactant containing the precursor with electrodes supplied with an electric power of from 0.1 to 25 W, optionally from 1 to 22 W, optionally from 3 to 17 W, even optionally from 5 to 14 W, optionally from 7 to 11 W, optionally 8 W. The ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume can be less than 10 W/ml, optionally is from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 5 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally is from 4 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml, optionally from 2 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml. Low power levels are believed by the inventors to be most advantageous (e.g. power levels of from 2 to 3.5 W and the power levels given in the Examples) to prepare a lubricity coating. These power levels are suitable for applying lubricity layers to syringes and sample tubes and vessels of similar geometry having a void volume of 1 to 3 mL in which PECVD plasma is generated. It is contemplated that for larger or smaller objects the power applied should be increased or reduced accordingly to scale the process to the size of the substrate.

VII.B.1.a. The coating can be cured, as by polymerizing or crosslinking the coating, or both, to form a lubricated surface having a lower plunger sliding force or breakout force than the untreated substrate. Curing can occur during the application process such as PECVD, or can be carried out or at least completed by separate processing.

VII.B.1.a. Although plasma deposition has been used herein to demonstrate the coating characteristics, alternate deposition methods can be used as long as the chemical composition of the starting material is preserved as much as possible while still depositing a solid film that is adhered to the base substrate.

VII.B.1.a. For example, the coating material can be applied onto the syringe barrel (from the liquid state) by spraying the coating or dipping the substrate into the coating, where the coating is either the neat precursor a solvent-diluted precursor (allowing the mechanical deposition of a thinner coating). The coating optionally can be crosslinked using thermal energy, UV energy, electron beam energy, plasma energy, or any combination of these.

VII.B.1.a. Application of a silicone precursor as described above onto a surface followed by a separate curing step is also contemplated. The conditions of application and curing can be analogous to those used for the atmospheric plasma curing of pre-coated polyfluoroalkyl ethers, a process practiced under the trademark TriboGlide®. More details of this process can be found at http://www.triboglide.com/process.htm.

VII.B.1.a. In such a process, the area of the part to be coated can optionally be pre-treated with an atmospheric plasma. This pretreatment cleans and activates the surface so that it is receptive to the lubricant that is sprayed in the next step.

VII.B.1.a. The lubrication fluid, in this case one of the above precursors or a polymerized precursor, is then sprayed on to the surface to be treated. For example, IVEK precision dispensing technology can be used to accurately atomize the fluid and create a uniform coating.

VII.B.1.a. The coating is then bonded or crosslinked to the part, again using an atmospheric plasma field. This both immobilizes the coating and improves the lubricant's performance.

VII.B.1.a. Optionally, the atmospheric plasma can be generated from ambient air in the vessel, in which case no gas feed and no vacuum drawing equipment is needed. Optionally, however, the vessel is at least substantially closed while plasma is generated, to minimize the power requirement and prevent contact of the plasma with surfaces or materials outside the vessel.

VII.B.1.a.i. Lubricity layer: SiO_(x) Barrier, Lubricity Layer, Surface Treatment Surface treatment

VII.B.1.a.i. Another embodiment is a syringe comprising a barrel defining a lumen and having an interior surface slidably receiving a plunger, i.e. receiving a plunger for sliding contact to the interior surface.

VII.B.1.a.i. The syringe barrel is made of thermoplastic base material.

VII.B.1.a.i. Optionally, the interior surface of the barrel is coated with an SiO_(x) barrier layer or coating as described elsewhere in this specification.

VII.B.1.a.i. A lubricity layer or coating is applied to part or all the barrel interior surface, the plunger, or both, or to the previously applied SiO_(x) barrier layer. The lubricity layer or coating can be provided, applied, and cured as set out in embodiment VII.B.1.a or elsewhere in this specification.

VII.B.1.a.i. For example, the lubricity layer or coating can be applied, in any embodiment, by PECVD. The lubricity layer or coating is deposited from an organosilicon precursor, and is less than 1000 nm thick.

VII.B.1.a.i. A surface treatment is carried out on the lubricity layer or coating in an amount effective to reduce the leaching or extractables of the lubricity layer, the thermoplastic base material, or both. The treated surface can thus act as a solute retainer. This surface treatment can result in a skin coating, e.g. a skin coating which is at least 1 nm thick and less than 100 nm thick, or less than 50 nm thick, or less than 40 nm thick, or less than 30 nm thick, or less than 20 nm thick, or less than 10 nm thick, or less than 5 nm thick, or less than 3 nm thick, or less than 2 nm thick, or less than 1 nm thick, or less than 0.5 nm thick.

VII.B.1.a.i. As used herein, “leaching” refers to material transferred out of a substrate, such as a vessel wall, into the contents of a vessel, for example a syringe. Commonly, leachables are measured by storing the vessel filled with intended contents, then analyzing the contents to determine what material leached from the vessel wall into the intended contents. “Extraction” refers to material removed from a substrate by introducing a solvent or dispersion medium other than the intended contents of the vessel, to determine what material can be removed from the substrate into the extraction medium under the conditions of the test.

VII.B.1.a.i. The surface treatment resulting in a solute retainer optionally can be a SiO_(x) layer or coating as previously defined in this specification or a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section. In one embodiment, the surface treatment can be applied by PECVD deposit of SiO_(x) or a hydrophobic layer. Optionally, the surface treatment can be applied using higher power or stronger oxidation conditions than used for creating the lubricity layer, or both, thus providing a harder, thinner, continuous solute retainer 539. Surface treatment can be less than 100 nm deep, optionally less than 50 nm deep, optionally less than 40 nm deep, optionally less than 30 nm deep, optionally less than 20 nm deep, optionally less than 10 nm deep, optionally less than 5 nm deep, optionally less than 3 nm deep, optionally less than 1 nm deep, optionally less than 0.5 nm deep, optionally between 0.1 and 50 nm deep in the lubricity layer.

VII.B.1.a.i. The solute retainer is contemplated to provide low solute leaching performance to the underlying lubricity and other layers, including the substrate, as required. This retainer would only need to be a solute retainer to large solute molecules and oligomers (for example siloxane monomers such as HMDSO, OMCTS, their fragments and mobile oligomers derived from lubricants, for example a “leachables retainer”) and not a gas (O₂/N₂/CO₂/water vapor) barrier layer. A solute retainer can, however, also be a gas barrier (e.g. the SiO_(x) coating according to present invention. One can create a good leachable retainer without gas barrier performance, either by vacuum or atmospheric-based PECVD processes. It is desirable that the “leachables barrier” will be sufficiently thin that, upon syringe plunger movement, the plunger will readily penetrate the “solute retainer” exposing the sliding plunger nipple to the lubricity layer or coating immediately below to form a lubricated surface having a lower plunger sliding force or breakout force than the untreated substrate.

VII.B.1.a.i. In another embodiment, the surface treatment can be performed by oxidizing the surface of a previously applied lubricity layer, as by exposing the surface to oxygen in a plasma environment. The plasma environment described in this specification for forming SiO_(x) coatings can be used. Or, atmospheric plasma conditions can be employed in an oxygen-rich environment.

VII.B.1.a.i. The lubricity layer or coating and solute retainer, however formed, optionally can be cured at the same time. In another embodiment, the lubricity layer or coating can be at least partially cured, optionally fully cured, after which the surface treatment can be provided, applied, and the solute retainer can be cured.

VII.B.1.a.i. The lubricity layer or coating and solute retainer are composed, and present in relative amounts, effective to provide a breakout force, plunger sliding force, or both that is less than the corresponding force required in the absence of the lubricity layer or coating and surface treatment. In other words, the thickness and composition of the solute retainer are such as to reduce the leaching of material from the lubricity layer or coating into the contents of the syringe, while allowing the underlying lubricity layer or coating to lubricate the plunger. It is contemplated that the solute retainer will break away easily and be thin enough that the lubricity layer or coating will still function to lubricate the plunger when it is moved.

VII.B.1.a.i. In one contemplated embodiment, the lubricity and surface treatments can be applied on the barrel interior surface. In another contemplated embodiment, the lubricity and surface treatments can be applied on the plunger. In still another contemplated embodiment, the lubricity and surface treatments can be applied both on the barrel interior surface and on the plunger. In any of these embodiments, the optional SiO_(x) barrier layer or coating on the interior of the syringe barrel can either be present or absent.

VII.B.1.a.i. One embodiment contemplated is a plural-layer, e.g. a 3-layer, configuration applied to the inside surface of a syringe barrel. Layer or coating 1 can be an SiO_(x) gas barrier made by PECVD of HMDSO, OMCTS, or both, in an oxidizing atmosphere. Such an atmosphere can be provided, for example, by feeding HMDSO and oxygen gas to a PECVD coating apparatus as described in this specification. Layer or coating 2 can be a lubricity layer or coating using OMCTS applied in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. Such a non-oxidizing atmosphere can be provided, for example, by feeding OMCTS to a PECVD coating apparatus as described in this specification, optionally in the substantial or complete absence of oxygen. A subsequent solute retainer can be formed by a treatment forming a thin skin layer or coating of SiO_(x) or a hydrophobic layer or coating as a solute retainer using higher power and oxygen using OMCTS and/or HMDSO.

VII.B.1.a.i. Certain of these plural-layer or coating coatings are contemplated to have one or more of the following optional advantages, at least to some degree. They can address the reported difficulty of handling silicone, since the solute retainer can confine the interior silicone and prevent if from migrating into the contents of the syringe or elsewhere, resulting in fewer silicone particles in the deliverable contents of the syringe and less opportunity for interaction between the lubricity layer or coating and the contents of the syringe. They can also address the issue of migration of the lubricity layer or coating away from the point of lubrication, improving the lubricity of the interface between the syringe barrel and the plunger. For example, the break-free force can be reduced and the drag on the moving plunger can be reduced, or optionally both.

VII.B.1.a.i. It is contemplated that when the solute retainer is broken, the solute retainer will continue to adhere to the lubricity layer or coating and the syringe barrel, which can inhibit any particles from being entrained in the deliverable contents of the syringe.

VII.B.1.a.i. Certain of these coatings will also provide manufacturing advantages, particularly if the barrier coating, lubricity layer or coating and surface treatment are applied in the same apparatus, for example the illustrated PECVD apparatus. Optionally, the SiO_(x) barrier coating, lubricity layer, and surface treatment can all be applied in one PECVD apparatus, thus greatly reducing the amount of handling necessary.

Further advantages can be obtained by forming the barrier coating, lubricity layer, and solute retainer using the same precursors and varying the process. For example, an SiO_(x) gas barrier layer or coating can be applied using an OMCTS precursor under high power/high O₂ conditions, followed by applying a lubricity layer or coating applied using an OMCTS precursor under low power and/or in the substantial or complete absence of oxygen, finishing with a surface treatment using an OMCTS precursor under intermediate power and oxygen.

VII.B.2. Plungers

VII.B.2.a. With Barrier Coated Piston Front Face

VII.B.2.a. Another embodiment is a plunger for a syringe, including a piston and a push rod. The piston has a front face, a generally cylindrical side face, and a back portion, the side face being configured to movably seat within a syringe barrel. The front face has a barrier coating. The push rod engages the back portion and is configured for advancing the piston in a syringe barrel.

VII.B.2.b. With Lubricity Layer or Coating Interfacing with Side Face

VII.B.2.b. Yet another embodiment is a plunger for a syringe, including a piston, a lubricity layer, and a push rod. The piston has a front face, a generally cylindrical side face, and a back portion. The side face is configured to movably seat within a syringe barrel. The lubricity layer or coating interfaces with the side face. The push rod engages the back portion of the piston and is configured for advancing the piston in a syringe barrel.

VII.B.3.a Two Piece Syringe and Luer Fitting

VII.B.3.a Another embodiment is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a Luer fitting. The syringe includes a barrel having an interior surface receiving the plunger for sliding. The Luer fitting includes a Luer taper having an internal passage defined by an internal surface. The Luer fitting is formed as a separate piece from the syringe barrel and joined to the syringe barrel by a coupling. The internal passage of the Luer taper optionally has a barrier coating of SiOx.

VII.B.3.b Staked Needle Syringe

VII.B.3.b Another embodiment is a syringe including a plunger, a syringe barrel, and a staked needle (a “staked needle syringe”). The needle is hollow with a typical size ranging from 18-29 gauge. The syringe barrel has an interior surface slidably receiving the plunger. The staked needle may be affixed to the syringe during the injection molding of the syringe or may be assembled to the formed syringe using an adhesive. A cover is placed over the staked needle to seal the syringe assembly. The syringe assembly must be sealed so that a vacuum can be maintained within the syringe to enable the PECVD coating process.

VII.B.4. Lubricity layer or Coating in General

VII.B.4.a. Product By Process and Lubricity

VII.B.4.a. Still another embodiment is a lubricity layer. This coating can be of the type made by the process for preparing a lubricity coating as described herein.

VII.B.4.a. Any of the precursors for lubricity coatings mentioned elsewhere in this specification can be used, alone or in combination. The precursor is applied to a substrate under conditions effective to form a coating. The coating is polymerized or crosslinked, or both, to form a lubricated surface having a lower plunger sliding force or breakout force than the untreated substrate.

VII.B.4.a. Another embodiment is a method of applying a lubricity layer. An organosilicon precursor is applied to a substrate under conditions effective to form a coating. The coating is polymerized or crosslinked, or both, to form a lubricated surface having a lower plunger sliding force or breakout force than the untreated substrate.

VII.B.4.b. Product by Process and Analytical Properties

VII.B.4.b. Even another aspect of the invention is a lubricity layer or coating deposited by PECVD from a feed gas comprising an organometallic precursor, optionally an organosilicon precursor, optionally a linear siloxane, a linear silazane, a monocyclic siloxane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polycyclic silazane, or any combination of two or more of these. The coating can have a density between 1.25 and 1.65 g/cm³ optionally between 1.35 and 1.55 g/cm³, optionally between 1.4 and 1.5 g/cm³, optionally between 1.44 and 1.48 g/cm³ as determined by X-ray reflectivity (XRR).

VII.B.4.b. Still another aspect of the invention is a lubricity layer or coating deposited by PECVD from a feed gas comprising an organometallic precursor, optionally an organosilicon precursor, optionally a linear siloxane, a linear silazane, a monocyclic siloxane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polycyclic silazane, or any combination of two or more of these. The coating has as an outgas component one or more oligomers containing repeating —(Me)₂SiO— moieties, as determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Optionally, the coating meets the limitations of any of embodiments VII.B.4.a. Optionally, the coating outgas component as determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is substantially free of trimethylsilanol.

VII.B.4.b. Optionally, the coating outgas component can be at least 10 ng/test of oligomers containing repeating —(Me)₂SiO— moieties, as determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using the following test conditions:

-   -   GC Column: 30 m×0.25 mm DB-5MS (J&W Scientific), 0.25 μm film         thickness     -   Flow rate: 1.0 ml/min, constant flow mode     -   Detector: Mass Selective Detector (MSD)     -   Injection Mode: Split injection (10:1 split ratio)     -   Outgassing Conditions: 1½″ (37 mm) Chamber, purge for three hour         at 85° C., flow 60 ml/min     -   Oven temperature: 40° C. (5 min.) to 300° C. at 10° C./min.;         hold for 5 min. at 300° C.

VII.B.4.b. Optionally, the outgas component can include at least 20 ng/test of oligomers containing repeating —(Me)₂SiO— moieties.

VII.B.4.b. Optionally, the feed gas comprises a monocyclic siloxane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polycyclic silazane, or any combination of two or more of these, for example a monocyclic siloxane, a monocyclic silazane, or any combination of two or more of these, for example octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane.

VII.B.4.b. The lubricity layer or coating of any embodiment can have an average thickness measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of from 1 to 5000 nm, or 10 to 1000 nm, or 10 to 200 nm, or 20 to 100 nm, or 30 to 1000 nm, or 30 to 500 nm thick. Preferred ranges are from 30 to 1000 nm and from 20 to 100 nm, and a particularly preferred range is from 80 to 150 nm. The absolute thickness of the coating at single measurement points can be higher or lower than the range limits of the average thickness. However, it typically varies within the thickness ranges given for the average thickness.

VII.B.4.b. Another aspect of the invention is a lubricity layer or coating deposited by PECVD from a feed gas comprising a monocyclic siloxane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polycyclic silazane, or any combination of two or more of these. The coating has an atomic concentration of carbon, normalized to 100% of carbon, oxygen, and silicon, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), greater than the atomic concentration of carbon in the atomic formula for the feed gas. Optionally, the coating meets the limitations of embodiments VII.B.4.a or VII.B.4.b.A.

VII.B.4.b. Optionally, the atomic concentration of carbon increases by from 1 to 80 atomic percent (as calculated and based on the XPS conditions in Example 15 of EP 2 251 455), alternatively from 10 to 70 atomic percent, alternatively from 20 to 60 atomic percent, alternatively from 30 to 50 atomic percent, alternatively from 35 to 45 atomic percent, alternatively from 37 to 41 atomic percent in relation to the atomic concentration of carbon in the organosilicon precursor when a lubricity coating is made.

VII.B.4.b. An additional aspect of the invention is a lubricity layer or coating deposited by PECVD from a feed gas comprising a monocyclic siloxane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polycyclic silazane, or any combination of two or more of these. The coating has an atomic concentration of silicon, normalized to 100% of carbon, oxygen, and silicon, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), less than the atomic concentration of silicon in the atomic formula for the feed gas. See Example 15 of EP 2 251 455.

VII.B.4.b. Optionally, the atomic concentration of silicon decreases by from 1 to 80 atomic percent (as calculated and based on the XPS conditions in Example 15 of EP 2251 455), alternatively from 10 to 70 atomic percent, alternatively from 20 to 60 atomic percent, alternatively from 30 to 55 atomic percent, alternatively from 40 to 50 atomic percent, alternatively from 42 to 46 atomic percent.

VII.B.4.b. Lubricity layers having combinations of any two or more properties recited in Section VII.B.4 are also expressly contemplated.

VII.C. Vessels Generally

VII.C. A coated vessel or container as described herein and/or prepared according to a method described herein can be used for reception and/or storage and/or delivery of a compound or composition. The compound or composition can be sensitive, for example air-sensitive, oxygen-sensitive, sensitive to humidity and/or sensitive to mechanical influences. It can be a biologically active compound or composition, for example a medicament like insulin or a composition comprising insulin. In another aspect, it can be a biological fluid, optionally a bodily fluid, for example blood or a blood fraction. In certain aspects of the present invention, the compound or composition is a product to be administrated to a subject in need thereof, for example a product to be injected, like blood (as in transfusion of blood from a donor to a recipient or reintroduction of blood from a patient back to the patient) or insulin.

VII.C. A coated vessel or container as described herein and/or prepared according to a method described herein can further be used for protecting a compound or composition contained in its interior space against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated vessel material. For example, it can be used for preventing or reducing precipitation and/or clotting or platelet activation of the compound or a component of the composition, for example insulin precipitation or blood clotting or platelet activation.

VII.C. It can further be used for protecting a compound or composition contained in its interior against the environment outside of the vessel, for example by preventing or reducing the entry of one or more compounds from the environment surrounding the vessel into the interior space of the vessel. Such environmental compound can be a gas or liquid, for example an atmospheric gas or liquid containing oxygen, air, and/or water vapor.

VII.C. A coated vessel as described herein can also be evacuated and stored in an evacuated state. For example, the coating allows better maintenance of the vacuum in comparison to a corresponding uncoated vessel. In one aspect of this embodiment, the coated vessel is a blood collection tube. The tube can also contain an agent for preventing blood clotting or platelet activation, for example EDTA or heparin.

VII.C. Any of the above-described embodiments can be made, for example, by providing as the vessel a length of tubing from about 1 cm to about 200 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 150 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 120 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 100 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 80 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 60 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 40 cm, optionally from about 1 cm to about 30 cm long, and processing it with a probe electrode as described below. Particularly for the longer lengths in the above ranges, it is contemplated that relative motion between the probe and the vessel can be useful during coating formation. This can be done, for example, by moving the vessel with respect to the probe or moving the probe with respect to the vessel.

VII.C. In these embodiments, it is contemplated that the coating can be thinner or less complete than can be preferred for a barrier coating, as the vessel in some embodiments will not require the high barrier integrity of an evacuated blood collection tube.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the vessel has a central axis.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the vessel wall is sufficiently flexible to be flexed at least once at 20° C., without breaking the wall, over a range from at least substantially straight to a bending radius at the central axis of not more than 100 times as great as the outer diameter of the vessel.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the bending radius at the central axis is not more than 90 times as great as, or not more than 80 times as great as, or not more than 70 times as great as, or not more than 60 times as great as, or not more than 50 times as great as, or not more than 40 times as great as, or not more than 30 times as great as, or not more than 20 times as great as, or not more than 10 times as great as, or not more than 9 times as great as, or not more than 8 times as great as, or not more than 7 times as great as, or not more than 6 times as great as, or not more than 5 times as great as, or not more than 4 times as great as, or not more than 3 times as great as, or not more than 2 times as great as, or not more than, the outer diameter of the vessel.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the vessel wall can be a fluid-contacting surface made of flexible material.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the vessel lumen can be the fluid flow passage of a pump.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the vessel can be a blood bag adapted to maintain blood in good condition for medical use.

VII.C., VII.D. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the polymeric material can be a silicone elastomer or a thermoplastic polyurethane, as two examples, or any material suitable for contact with blood, or with insulin.

VII.C., VII.D. In an optional embodiment, the vessel has an inner diameter of at least 2 mm, or at least 4 mm.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the vessel is a tube.

VII.C. As an optional feature of any of the foregoing embodiments the lumen has at least two open ends.

VII.C.1. Vessel Containing Viable Blood, Having a Coating Deposited from an Organosilicon Precursor

VII.C.1. Even another embodiment is a blood containing vessel. Several non-limiting examples of such a vessel are a blood transfusion bag, a blood sample collection vessel in which a sample has been collected, the tubing of a heart-lung machine, a flexible-walled blood collection bag, or tubing used to collect a patient's blood during surgery and reintroduce the blood into the patient's vasculature. If the vessel includes a pump for pumping blood, a particularly suitable pump is a centrifugal pump or a peristaltic pump. The vessel has a wall; the wall has an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface of the wall has an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section. The coating can be as thin as monomolecular thickness or as thick as about 1000 nm. The vessel contains blood viable for return to the vascular system of a patient disposed within the lumen in contact with the hydrophobic layer.

VII.C.1. An embodiment is a blood containing vessel including a wall and having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer. The coating can also comprise or consist essentially of SiO_(x), where x is as defined in this specification. The thickness of the coating is within the range from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface. The vessel contains blood viable for return to the vascular system of a patient disposed within the lumen in contact with the hydrophobic layer or coating.

VII.C.2. Coating Deposited from an Organosilicon Precursor Reduces Clotting or Platelet Activation of Blood in the Vessel

VII.C.2. Another embodiment is a vessel having a wall. The wall has an inner surface defining a lumen and has an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer, where optionally w, x, y, and z are as previously defined in the Definition Section. The thickness of the coating is from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface. The coating is effective to reduce the clotting or platelet activation of blood exposed to the inner surface, compared to the same type of wall uncoated with a hydrophobic layer.

VII.C.2. It is contemplated that the incorporation of a hydrophobic layer or coating will reduce the adhesion or clot forming tendency of the blood, as compared to its properties in contact with an unmodified polymeric or SiO_(x) surface. This property is contemplated to reduce or potentially eliminate the need for treating the blood with heparin, as by reducing the necessary blood concentration of heparin in a patient undergoing surgery of a type requiring blood to be removed from the patient and then returned to the patient, as when using a heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery. It is contemplated that this will reduce the complications of surgery involving the passage of blood through such a vessel, by reducing the bleeding complications resulting from the use of heparin.

VII.C.2. Another embodiment is a vessel including a wall and having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer, the thickness of the coating being from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface, the coating being effective to reduce the clotting or platelet activation of blood exposed to the inner surface.

VII.C.3. Vessel Containing Viable Blood, Having a Coating of Group III or IV Element

VII.C.3. Another embodiment is a blood containing vessel having a wall having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial coating of a composition comprising one or more elements of Group III, one or more elements of Group IV, or a combination of two or more of these. The thickness of the coating is between monomolecular thickness and about 1000 nm thick, inclusive, on the inner surface. The vessel contains blood viable for return to the vascular system of a patient disposed within the lumen in contact with the hydrophobic layer.

VII.C.4. Coating of Group III or IV Element Reduces Clotting or Platelet Activation of Blood in the Vessel

VII.C.4. Optionally, in the vessel of the preceding paragraph, the coating of the Group III or IV Element is effective to reduce the clotting or platelet activation of blood exposed to the inner surface of the vessel wall.

VII.D. Pharmaceutical Delivery Vessels

VII.D. A coated vessel or container as described herein can be used for preventing or reducing the escape of a compound or composition contained in the vessel into the environment surrounding the vessel.

Further uses of the coating and vessel as described herein, which are apparent from any part of the description and claims, are also contemplated.

VII.D.1. Vessel Containing Insulin, Having a Coating Deposited from an Organosilicon Precursor

VII.D.1. Another embodiment is an insulin containing vessel including a wall having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section. The coating can be from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface. Insulin is disposed within the lumen in contact with the Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) coating.

VII.D.1. Still another embodiment is an insulin containing vessel including a wall and having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, the thickness of the coating being from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface. Insulin, for example pharmaceutical insulin FDA approved for human use, is disposed within the lumen in contact with the hydrophobic layer.

VII.D.1. It is contemplated that the incorporation of a hydrophobic layer, characterized as defined in the Definition Section, will reduce the adhesion or precipitation forming tendency of the insulin in a delivery tube of an insulin pump, as compared to its properties in contact with an unmodified polymeric surface. This property is contemplated to reduce or potentially eliminate the need for filtering the insulin passing through the delivery tube to remove a solid precipitate.

VII.D.2. Coating Deposited from an Organosilicon Precursor Reduces Precipitation of Insulin in the Vessel

VII.D.2. Optionally, in the vessel of the preceding paragraph, the coating of a hydrophobic layer or coating is effective to reduce the formation of a precipitate from insulin contacting the inner surface, compared to the same surface absent the hydrophobic layer.

VII.D.2. Even another embodiment is a vessel again comprising a wall and having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface includes an at least partial coating of a hydrophobic layer. The thickness of the coating is in the range from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface. The coating is effective to reduce the formation of a precipitate from insulin contacting the inner surface.

VII.D.3. Vessel Containing Insulin, Having a Coating of Group III or IV Element

VII.D.3. Another embodiment is an insulin containing vessel including a wall having an inner surface defining a lumen. The inner surface has an at least partial coating of a composition comprising carbon, one or more elements of Group III, one or more elements of Group IV, or a combination of two or more of these. The coating can be from monomolecular thickness to about 1000 nm thick on the inner surface. Insulin is disposed within the lumen in contact with the coating.

VII.D.4. Coating of Group III or IV Element Reduces Precipitation of Insulin in the Vessel

VII.D.4. Optionally, in the vessel of the preceding paragraph, the coating of a composition comprising carbon, one or more elements of Group III, one or more elements of Group IV, or a combination of two or more of these, is effective to reduce the formation of a precipitate from insulin contacting the inner surface, compared to the same surface absent the coating.

Common Conditions for All Embodiments

In any embodiment contemplated here, many common conditions can be used, for example any of the following, in any combination. Alternatively, any different conditions described elsewhere in this specification or claims can be employed.

I. Substrate of Any Embodiment

I.A. Vessel of any embodiment

The vessel can be a sample collection tube, for example a blood collection tube, or a syringe, or a syringe part, for example a barrel or piston or plunger; a vial; a conduit; or a cuvette. The substrate can be a closed-ended tube, for example a medical sample collection tube. The substrate can be the inside wall of a vessel having a lumen, the lumen having a void volume of from 0.5 to 50 mL, optionally from 1 to 10 mL, optionally from 0.5 to 5 mL, optionally from 1 to 3 mL. The substrate surface can be part or all of the inner surface of a vessel having at least one opening and an inner surface, and wherein the gaseous reactant fills the interior lumen of the vessel and the plasma can be generated in part or all of the interior lumen of the vessel.

I.B. Syringe and parts

The substrate can be a syringe barrel. The syringe barrel can have a plunger sliding surface and the coating can be disposed on at least a portion of the plunger sliding surface. The coating can be a lubricity layer. The lubricity layer or coating can be on the barrel interior surface. The lubricity layer or coating can be on the plunger. In a particular aspect, the substrate is a staked needle syringe or part of a staked needle syringe.

I.C. Vessel to receive Stopper

The substrate can be a stopper receiving surface in the mouth of a vessel. The substrate can be a generally conical or cylindrical inner surface of an opening of a vessel adapted to receive a stopper.

I.D. Stopper

The substrate can be a sliding surface of a stopper. The substrates can be coated by providing a multiplicity of the stoppers located in a single substantially evacuated vessel. The chemical vapor deposition can be plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and the stopper can be contacted with the plasma. The chemical vapor deposition can be plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The plasma can be formed upstream of the stopper, producing plasma product, and the plasma product can be contacted with the stopper.

A closure can define a substrate coated with a coating, optionally a stopper coated with a lubricity layer. The substrate can be a closure seated in a vessel defining a lumen and a surface of the closure facing the lumen can be coated with the coating.

The coating can be effective to reduce the transmission of a metal ion constituent of the stopper into the lumen of the vessel.

I.E. The Substrate of Any Embodiment

The substrate can be a vessel wall. A portion of the vessel wall in contact with a wall-contacting surface of a closure can be coated with the coating. The coating can be a composite of material having first and second layers. The first layer or coating can interface with the elastomeric stopper. The first layer of the coating can be effective to reduce the transmission of one or more constituents of the stopper into the vessel lumen. The second layer or coating can interface with the inner wall of the vessel. The second layer can be effective to reduce friction between the stopper and the inner wall of the vessel when the stopper can be seated on the vessel.

Alternatively, the first and second layers of any embodiment can be defined by a coating of graduated properties containing carbon and hydrogen, in which the proportions of carbon and hydrogen are greater in the first layer or coating than in the second layer.

The coating of any embodiment can be applied by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

The substrate of any embodiment can comprise glass, alternatively a polymer, alternatively a polycarbonate polymer, alternatively an olefin polymer, alternatively a cyclic olefin copolymer, alternatively a polypropylene polymer, alternatively a polyester polymer, alternatively a polyethylene terephthalate polymer, alternatively a polyethylene naphthalate polymer, alternatively a combination, composite or blend of any two or more of the above materials.

II. Gaseous Reactant or Process Gas Limitations of Any Embodiment

II.A Deposition Conditions of Any Embodiment

The plasma for PECVD, if used, can be generated at reduced pressure and the reduced pressure can be less than 300 mTorr, optionally less than 200 mTorr, even optionally less than 100 mTorr. The physical and chemical properties of the coating can be set by setting the ratio of O₂ to the organosilicon precursor in the gaseous reactant, and/or by setting the electric power used for generating the plasma.

II.B. Relative Proportions of Gases of Any Embodiment

The process gas can contain this ratio of gases for preparing a lubricity coating:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes     -   of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 3 to 70 standard volumes, of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 3 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 3 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 3 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 1 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 3 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 3 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.2 to 1 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes     -   of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 10 to 70 standard volumes, of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 10 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.1 to 2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.5 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.5 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 10 to 70 standard volumes, of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.5 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 10 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.5 to 1.5 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.8 to 1.2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 2 to 4 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   from 5 to 100 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.8 to 1.2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   from 1 to 6 standard volumes of the precursor;     -   From 10 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.8 to 1.2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.

alternatively this ratio:

-   -   2 to 4 standard volumes, of the precursor;     -   from 10 to 70 standard volumes of a carrier gas,     -   from 0.8 to 1.2 standard volumes of an oxidizing agent.         II.C. Precursor of Any Embodiment

The organosilicon precursor has been described elsewhere in this description.

The organosilicon compound can in certain aspects, particularly when a lubricity coating is formed, comprise octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS). The organosilicon compound for any embodiment of said certain aspects can consist essentially of octamethycyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS). The organosilicon compound can in certain aspects, particularly when a barrier coating is formed, be or comprise hexamethyldisiloxane.

The reaction gas can also include a hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon can comprise methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, acetylene, or a combination of two or more of these.

The organosilicon precursor can be delivered at a rate of equal to or less than 6 sccm, optionally equal to or less than 2.5 sccm, optionally equal to or less than 1.5 sccm, optionally equal to or less than 1.25 sccm. Larger vessels or other changes in conditions or scale may require more or less of the precursor. The precursor can be provided at less than 1 Torr absolute pressure.

II.D. Carrier Gas of Any Embodiment

The carrier gas can comprise or consist of an inert gas, for example argon, helium, xenon, neon, another gas that is inert to the other constituents of the process gas under the deposition conditions, or any combination of two or more of these.

II.E. Oxidizing Gas of Any Embodiment

The oxidizing gas can comprise or consist of oxygen (O₂ and/or O₃ (commonly known as ozone)), nitrous oxide, or any other gas that oxidizes the precursor during PECVD at the conditions employed. The oxidizing gas comprises about 1 standard volume of oxygen. The gaseous reactant or process gas can be at least substantially free of nitrogen.

III. Plasma of Any Embodiment

The plasma of any PECVD embodiment can be formed in the vicinity of the substrate. The plasma can in certain cases, especially when preparing an SiOx coating, be a non-hollow-cathode plasma. In other certain cases, especially when preparing a lubricity coating, a non-hollow-cathode plasma is not desired. The plasma can be formed from the gaseous reactant at reduced pressure. Sufficient plasma generation power input can be provided to induce coating formation on the substrate.

IV. RF Power of Any Embodiment

The precursor can be contacted with a plasma made by energizing the vicinity of the precursor with electrodes powered at a frequency of 10 kHz to 2.45 GHz, alternatively from about 13 to about 14 MHz.

The precursor can be contacted with a plasma made by energizing the vicinity of the precursor with electrodes powered at radio frequency, optionally at a frequency of from 10 kHz to less than 300 MHz, optionally from 1 to 50 MHz, even optionally from 10 to 15 MHz, optionally at 13.56 MHz.

The precursor can be contacted with a plasma made by energizing the vicinity of the precursor with electrodes supplied with electric power at from 0.1 to 25 W, optionally from 1 to 22 W, optionally from 1 to 10 W, even optionally from 1 to 5 W, optionally from 2 to 4 W, for example of 3 W, optionally from 3 to 17 W, even optionally from 5 to 14 W, for example 6 or 7.5 W, optionally from 7 to 11 W, for example of 8 W.

The precursor can be contacted with a plasma made by energizing the vicinity of the precursor with electrodes supplied with electric power density at less than 10 W/ml of plasma volume, alternatively from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml of plasma volume, alternatively from 5 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml of plasma volume, alternatively from 4 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml of plasma volume, alternatively from 2 W/ml to 0.2 W/ml of plasma volume.

The plasma can be formed by exciting the reaction mixture with electromagnetic energy, alternatively microwave energy.

V. Other Process Options of Any Embodiment

The applying step for applying a coating to the substrate can be carried out by vaporizing the precursor and providing it in the vicinity of the substrate.

The chemical vapor deposition employed can be PECVD and the deposition time can be from 1 to 30 sec, alternatively from 2 to 10 sec, alternatively from 3 to 9 sec. The purposes for optionally limiting deposition time can be to avoid overheating the substrate, to increase the rate of production, and to reduce the use of process gas and its constituents. The purposes for optionally extending deposition time can be to provide a thicker coating for particular deposition conditions.

VI. Coating Properties of Any Embodiment

VI.A. Lubricity Properties of Any Embodiment

The vessels (e.g. syringe barrels and/or plungers) coated with a lubricity coating according to present invention have a higher lubricity (determined, e.g. by measuring the Fi and/or Fm) than the uncoated vessels. They also have a higher lubricity than vessels coated with a SiO_(x) coating as described herein. An embodiment can be carried out under conditions effective to form a lubricated surface of the substrate having a lower sliding force or breakout force (or optionally both) than the untreated substrate. Optionally, the materials and conditions can be effective to reduce the sliding force or breakout force at least at least 25 percent, alternatively at least 45 percent, alternatively at least 60 percent, alternatively more than 60 percent relative to an uncoated syringe barrel. Expressed otherwise, the coating can have a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated surface, wherein optionally the frictional resistance can be reduced by at least 25%, optionally by at least 45%, even optionally by at least 60% in comparison to the uncoated surface.

The break loose force (Fi) and the glide force (Fm) are important performance measures for the effectiveness of a lubricity coating. For Fi and Fm, it is desired to have a low, but not too low value. With too low Fi, which means a too low level of resistance (the extreme being zero), premature/unintended flow may occur, which might e.g. lead to an unintentional premature or uncontrolled discharge of the content of a prefilled syringe.

In order to achieve a sufficient lubricity (e.g. to ensure that a syringe plunger can be moved in the syringe, but to avoid uncontrolled movement of the plunger), the following ranges of Fi and Fm should be advantageously maintained: Fi: 2.5 to 5 lbs, preferably 2.7 to 4.9 lbs, and in particular 2.9 to 4.7 lbs; Fm: 2.5 to 8.0 lbs, preferably 3.3 to 7.6 lbs, and in particular 3.3 to 4 lbs.

Further advantageous Fi and Fm values can be found in the Tables of the Examples.

The lubricity coating optionally provides a consistent plunger force that reduces the difference between the break loose force (Fi) and the glide force (Fm).

VI.B. Hydrophobicity Properties of Any Embodiment

An embodiment can be carried out under conditions effective to form a hydrophobic layer or coating on the substrate. Optionally, the hydrophobic characteristics of the coating can be set by setting the ratio of the O₂ to the organosilicon precursor in the gaseous reactant, and/or by setting the electric power used for generating the plasma. Optionally, the coating can have a lower wetting tension than the uncoated surface, optionally a wetting tension of from 20 to 72 dyne/cm, optionally from 30 to 60 dynes/cm, optionally from 30 to 40 dynes/cm, optionally 34 dyne/cm. Optionally, the coating can be more hydrophobic than the uncoated surface.

VI.C. Thickness of Any Embodiment

Optionally, the coating can have a thickness determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), of any amount stated in this disclosure.

For the lubricity coatings described herein, the indicated thickness ranges are representing average thickness, as a certain roughness may enhance the lubricious properties of the lubricity coating. Thus the thickness of the lubricity coating is advantageously not uniform throughout the coating (see above). However, a uniformly thick lubricity coating is also considered. The absolute thickness of the lubricity coating at single measurement points can be higher or lower than the range limits of the average thickness, with maximum deviations of preferably +/−50%, more preferably +/−25% and even more preferably +/−15% from the average thickness. However, it typically varies within the thickness ranges given for the average thickness in this description.

VI.D. Composition of Any Embodiment

Optionally, the lubricity coating can be composed of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) or SiwNxCyHz. It generally has an atomic ratio Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y) wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, preferably w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to 1.5, and y is from 0.9 to 2.0, more preferably w is 1, x is from 0.7 to 1.2 and y is from 0.9 to 2.0. The atomic ratio can be determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). Taking into account the H atoms, the coating may thus in one aspect have the formula Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z), for example where w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, y is from about 0.6 to about 3, and z is from about 2 to about 9. Typically, the atomic ratios are Si 100:O 80-110:C 100-150 in a particular coating of present invention. Specifically, the atomic ratio may be Si 100:O 92-107:C 116-133, and such coating would hence contain 36% to 41% carbon normalized to 100% carbon plus oxygen plus silicon.

Alternatively, w can be 1, x can be from about 0.5 to 1.5 y can be from about 2 to about 3, and z can be from 6 to about 9. Alternatively, the coating can have atomic concentrations normalized to 100% carbon, oxygen, and silicon, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of less than 50% carbon and more than 25% silicon. Alternatively, the atomic concentrations are from 25 to 45% carbon, 25 to 65% silicon, and 10 to 35% oxygen. Alternatively, the atomic concentrations are from 30 to 40% carbon, 32 to 52% silicon, and 20 to 27% oxygen. Alternatively, the atomic concentrations are from 33 to 37% carbon, 37 to 47% silicon, and 22 to 26% oxygen.

Optionally, the atomic concentration of carbon, normalized to 100% of carbon, oxygen, and silicon, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), can be greater than the atomic concentration of carbon in the atomic formula for the organosilicon precursor. For example, embodiments are contemplated in which the atomic concentration of carbon increases by from 1 to 80 atomic percent, alternatively from 10 to 70 atomic percent, alternatively from 20 to 60 atomic percent, alternatively from 30 to 50 atomic percent, alternatively from 35 to 45 atomic percent, alternatively from 37 to 41 atomic percent.

Optionally, the atomic ratio of carbon to oxygen in the coating can be increased in comparison to the organosilicon precursor, and/or the atomic ratio of oxygen to silicon can be decreased in comparison to the organosilicon precursor.

Optionally, the coating can have an atomic concentration of silicon, normalized to 100% of carbon, oxygen, and silicon, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), less than the atomic concentration of silicon in the atomic formula for the feed gas. For example, embodiments are contemplated in which the atomic concentration of silicon decreases by from 1 to 80 atomic percent, alternatively by from 10 to 70 atomic percent, alternatively by from 20 to 60 atomic percent, alternatively by from 30 to 55 atomic percent, alternatively by from 40 to 50 atomic percent, alternatively by from 42 to 46 atomic percent.

As another option, a coating is contemplated that can be characterized by a sum formula wherein the atomic ratio C:O can be increased and/or the atomic ratio Si:O can be decreased in comparison to the sum formula of the organosilicon precursor.

VI.E. Outgassing Species of Any Embodiment

The lubricity coating can have as an outgas component one or more oligomers containing repeating —(Me)₂SiO— moieties, as determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The coating outgas component can be determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. For example, the coating outgas component can have at least 10 ng/test of oligomers containing repeating —(Me)₂SiO— moieties, alternatively at least 20 ng/test of oligomers containing repeating —(Me)₂SiO— moieties, as determined using the following test conditions:

-   -   GC Column: 30 m×0.25 mm DB-5MS (J&W Scientific), 0.25 μm film         thickness     -   Flow rate 1.0 ml/min, constant flow mode     -   Detector: Mass Selective Detector (MSD)     -   Injection Mode: Split injection (10:1 split ratio)     -   Outgassing Conditions: 1½″ (37 mm) Chamber, purge for three hour         at 85° C., flow 60 ml/min     -   Oven temperature: 40° C. (5 min.) to 300° C. @10° C./min.; hold         for 5 min. at 300° C.

Optionally, the lubricity coating can have an outgas component at least substantially free of trimethylsilanol.

VI.E. Other Coating Properties of Any Embodiment

The coating can have a density between 1.25 and 1.65 g/cm³, alternatively between 1.35 and 1.55 g/cm³, alternatively between 1.4 and 1.5 g/cm³, alternatively between 1.4 and 1.5 g/cm³, alternatively between 1.44 and 1.48 g/cm³, as determined by X-ray reflectivity (XRR). Optionally, the organosilicon compound can be octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and the coating can have a density which can be higher than the density of a coating made from HMDSO as the organosilicon compound under the same PECVD reaction conditions.

The coating optionally can prevent or reduce the precipitation of a compound or component of a composition in contact with the coating, in particular can prevent or reduce insulin precipitation or blood clotting, in comparison to the uncoated surface and/or to a barrier coated surface using HMDSO as precursor.

The substrate can be a vessel, for protecting a compound or composition contained or received in the coated vessel against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the uncoated substrate.

The substrate can be a vessel, for preventing or reducing precipitation and/or clotting of a compound or a component of the composition in contact with the interior surface of the vessel. The compound or composition can be a biologically active compound or composition, for example a medicament, for example the compound or composition can comprise insulin, wherein insulin precipitation can be reduced or prevented. Alternatively, the compound or composition can be a biological fluid, for example a bodily fluid, for example blood or a blood fraction wherein blood clotting can be reduced or prevented.

VII. Plus SIO_(x) Coating, Optional for Any Embodiment

The coating on a substrate, for example a vessel wall, as well as comprising a lubricity coating, additionally can comprise at least one layer or coating of SiOx, wherein x can be from 1.5 to 2.9, adjacent to the coating on the substrate, alternatively between the coating and the substrate, alternatively on the opposite side of the coating as the substrate. Optionally, the layers of SiOx and the coating can either form a sharp interface or a graded composite of Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y)H_(z) to SiO_(x) or vice versa. The substrate coated with a lubricity coating can further comprise a surface treatment of the coating in an amount effective to reduce the leaching of the coating, the substrate, or both. For example, the coating and surface treatment can be composed and present in relative amounts effective to provide a breakout force, sliding force, or both less than the corresponding force required in the absence of the coating and surface treatment. Optionally, the surface treatment can be less than 100 nm deep, alternatively less than 50 nm deep, alternatively less than 40 nm deep, alternatively less than 30 nm deep, alternatively less than 20 nm deep, alternatively less than 10 nm deep, alternatively less than 5 nm deep, alternatively less than 3 nm deep, alternatively less than 1 nm deep, alternatively less than 0.5 nm deep in the lubricity layer. As another contemplated option, the surface treatment can be between 0.1 and 50 nm deep in the lubricity layer.

The optional surface treatment can comprise SiO_(x), in which x can be from about 1.5 to about 2.9. Optionally, at least a second layer or coating of SiOx, wherein x can be from 1.5 to 2.9, can be applied between the coating and the substrate surface.

Embodiments are contemplated in which the substrate is a vessel having an interior surface defining a lumen and an exterior surface. The lubricity coating can be on the interior surface of the vessel, and the vessel can contain at least one further layer or coating on its exterior surface of SiO_(x), wherein x can be from 1.5 to 2.9. Alternatively, the further layer or coating on the exterior surface can comprise polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC). The further layer or coating on the exterior surface optionally can be a barrier coating.

VIII. Product Made of Vessel Plus Contents, Optional for Any Embodiment

In any embodiment, the substrate can be a vessel having an interior surface defining a lumen and an exterior surface, the coating can be on the interior surface of the vessel, and the vessel can contain a compound or composition in its lumen, e.g. citrate or a citrate containing composition, or e.g. insulin or an insulin containing composition. A prefilled syringe is especially considered which contains injectable or other liquid drugs like insulin.

EXAMPLES

The following Examples are in part already disclosed in EP 2 251 455. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, not all of the Examples in EP 2 251 455 A2 are repeated here, but explicit reference is herewith made to them.

Basic Protocols for Forming and Coating Syringe Barrels

The vessels tested in the subsequent working examples were formed and coated according to the following exemplary protocols, except as otherwise indicated in individual examples. Particular parameter values given in the following basic protocols, e.g. the electric power and gaseous reactant or process gas flow, are typical values. Whenever parameter values were changed in comparison to these typical values, this will be indicated in the subsequent working examples. The same applies to the type and composition of the gaseous reactant or process gas.

Protocol for Coating Tube Interior with SiO_(x)

The apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 with the sealing mechanism of FIG. 10 , which is a specific contemplated embodiment, was used. The vessel holder 50 was made from Delrin® acetal resin, available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington Del., USA, with an outside diameter of 1.75 inches (44 mm) and a height of 1.75 inches (44 mm). The vessel holder 50 was housed in a Delrin® structure that allowed the device to move in and out of the electrode (160).

The electrode 160 was made from copper with a Delrin® shield. The Delrin® shield was conformal around the outside of the copper electrode 160. The electrode 160 measured approximately 3 inches (76 mm) high (inside) and was approximately 0.75 inches (19 mm) wide.

The tube used as the vessel 80 was inserted into the vessel holder 50 base sealing with Viton® O-rings 490, 504 (Viton® is a trademark of DuPont Performance Elastomers LLC, Wilmington Del., USA) around the exterior of the tube (FIG. 10 ). The tube 80 was carefully moved into the sealing position over the extended (stationary) ⅛-inch (3-mm) diameter brass probe or counter electrode 108 and pushed against a copper plasma screen.

The copper plasma screen 610 was a perforated copper foil material (K&S Engineering, Chicago Ill., USA, Part #LXMUWS copper mesh) cut to fit the outside diameter of the tube, and was held in place by a radially extending abutment surface 494 that acted as a stop for the tube insertion (see FIG. 10 ). Two pieces of the copper mesh were fit snugly around the brass probe or counter electrode 108, insuring good electrical contact.

The brass probe or counter electrode 108 extended approximately 70 mm into the interior of the tube and had an array of #80 wire (diameter=0.0135 inch or 0.343 mm). The brass probe or counter electrode 108 extended through a Swagelok® fitting (available from Swagelok Co., Solon Ohio, USA) located at the bottom of the vessel holder 50, extending through the vessel holder 50 base structure. The brass probe or counter electrode 108 was grounded to the casing of the RF matching network.

The gas delivery port 110 was 12 holes in the probe or counter electrode 108 along the length of the tube (three on each of four sides oriented 90 degrees from each other) and two holes in the aluminum cap that plugged the end of the gas delivery port 110. The gas delivery port 110 was connected to a stainless steel assembly comprised of Swagelok® fittings incorporating a manual ball valve for venting, a thermocouple pressure gauge and a bypass valve connected to the vacuum pumping line. In addition, the gas system was connected to the gas delivery port 110 allowing the gaseous reactant or process gases, oxygen and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) to be flowed through the gas delivery port 110 (under process pressures) into the interior of the tube.

The gas system was comprised of a Aalborg® GFC17 mass flow meter (Part #EW-32661-34, Cole-Parmer Instrument Co., Barrington Ill. USA) for controllably flowing oxygen at 90 sccm (or at the specific flow reported for a particular example) into the process and a polyether ether ketone (“PEEK”) capillary (outside diameter, “OD” 1/16-inch (1.5-mm.), inside diameter, “ID” 0.004 inch (0.1 mm)) of length 49.5 inches (1.26 m). The PEEK capillary end was inserted into liquid hexamethyldisiloxane (“HMDSO,” Alfa Aesar® Part Number L16970, NMR Grade, available from Johnson Matthey PLC, London). The liquid HMDSO was pulled through the capillary due to the lower pressure in the tube during processing. The HMDSO was then vaporized into a vapor at the exit of the capillary as it entered the low pressure region.

To ensure no condensation of the liquid HMDSO past this point, the gas stream (including the oxygen) was diverted to the pumping line when it was not flowing into the interior of the tube for processing via a Swagelok® 3-way valve. Once the tube was installed, the vacuum pump valve was opened to the vessel holder 50 and the interior of the tube.

An Alcatel rotary vane vacuum pump and blower comprised the vacuum pump system. The pumping system allowed the interior of the tube to be reduced to pressure(s) of less than 200 mTorr while the gaseous reactant or process gases were flowing at the indicated rates.

Once the base vacuum level was achieved, the vessel holder 50 assembly was moved into the electrode 160 assembly. The gas stream (oxygen and HMDSO vapor) was flowed into the brass gas delivery port 110 (by adjusting the 3-way valve from the pumping line to the gas delivery port 110). Pressure inside the tube was approximately 300 mTorr as measured by a capacitance manometer (MKS) installed on the pumping line near the valve that controlled the vacuum. In addition to the tube pressure, the pressure inside the gas delivery port 110 and gas system was also measured with the thermocouple vacuum gauge that was connected to the gas system. This pressure was typically less than 8 Torr.

Once the gas was flowing to the interior of the tube, the RF power supply was turned on to its fixed power level. A ENI ACG-6 600 Watt RF power supply was used (at 13.56 MHz) at a fixed power level of approximately 50 Watts. The output power was calibrated in this and all following Protocols and Examples using a Bird Corporation Model 43 RF Watt meter connected to the RF output of the power supply during operation of the coating apparatus. The following relationship was found between the dial setting on the power supply and the output power: RF Power Out=55×Dial Setting. In the priority applications to the present application, a factor 100 was used, which was incorrect. The RF power supply was connected to a COMDEL CPMX1000 auto match which matched the complex impedance of the plasma (to be created in the tube) to the 50 ohm output impedance of the ENI ACG-6 RF power supply. The forward power was 50 Watts (or the specific amount reported for a particular example) and the reflected power was 0 Watts so that the applied power was delivered to the interior of the tube. The RF power supply was controlled by a laboratory timer and the power on time set to 5 seconds (or the specific time period reported for a particular example). Upon initiation of the RF power, a uniform plasma was established inside the interior of the tube. The plasma was maintained for the entire 5 seconds until the RF power was terminated by the timer. The plasma produced a silicon oxide coating of approximately 20 nm thickness (or the specific thickness reported in a particular example) on the interior of the tube surface.

After coating, the gas flow was diverted back to the vacuum line and the vacuum valve was closed. The vent valve was then opened, returning the interior of the tube to atmospheric pressure (approximately 760 Torr). The tube was then carefully removed from the vessel holder 50 assembly (after moving the vessel holder 50 assembly out of the electrode 160 assembly).

Protocol for Forming COC Syringe Barrel

Syringe barrels for an extended barrel syringe (“COC syringe barrels”), CV Holdings Part 11447, can be used, each having a 2.8 mL overall volume (excluding the Luer fitting) and a nominal 1 mL delivery volume or plunger displacement, Luer adapter type, were injection molded from Topas® 8007-04 cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) resin, available from Hoechst AG, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, having these dimensions: about 51 mm overall length, 8.6 mm inner syringe barrel diameter and 1.27 mm wall thickness at the cylindrical portion, with an integral 9.5 millimeter length needle capillary Luer adapter molded on one end and two finger flanges molded near the other end.

Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with SiO_(x)

An injection molded COC syringe barrel can be interior coated with SiO_(x). The apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 was modified to hold a COC syringe barrel with butt sealing at the base of the COC syringe barrel. Additionally a cap was fabricated out of a stainless steel Luer fitting and a polypropylene cap that sealed the end of the COC syringe barrel (illustrated in FIG. 8 ), allowing the interior of the COC syringe barrel to be evacuated.

The vessel holder 50 can be made from Delrin® with an outside diameter of 1.75 inches (44 mm) and a height of 1.75 inches (44 mm). The vessel holder 50 can be housed in a Delrin® structure that allowed the device to move in and out of the electrode 160.

The electrode 160 can be made from copper with a Delrin® shield. The Delrin® shield can be conformal around the outside of the copper electrode 160. The electrode 160 can be approximately 3 inches (76 mm) high (inside) and approximately 0.75 inches (19 mm) wide. The COC syringe barrel can be inserted into the vessel holder 50, base sealing with an Viton® O-rings.

The COC syringe barrel can be carefully moved into the sealing position over the extended (stationary) ⅛-inch (3-mm.) diameter brass probe or counter electrode 108 and pushed against a copper plasma screen. The copper plasma screen can be a perforated copper foil material (K&S Engineering Part #LXMUW5 Copper mesh) cut to fit the outside diameter of the COC syringe barrel and can be held in place by a abutment surface 494 that acted as a stop for the COC syringe barrel insertion. Two pieces of the copper mesh were fit snugly around the brass probe or counter electrode 108 insuring good electrical contact.

The probe or counter electrode 108 extended approximately 20 mm into the interior of the COC syringe barrel and can be open at its end. The brass probe or counter electrode 108 extended through a Swagelok® fitting located at the bottom of the vessel holder 50, extending through the vessel holder 50 base structure. The brass probe or counter electrode 108 can be grounded to the casing of the RF matching network.

The gas delivery port 110 can be connected to a stainless steel assembly comprised of Swagelok® fittings incorporating a manual ball valve for venting, a thermocouple pressure gauge and a bypass valve connected to the vacuum pumping line. In addition, the gas system can be connected to the gas delivery port 110 allowing the gaseous reactant or process gases, oxygen and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) to be flowed through the gas delivery port 110 (under process pressures) into the interior of the COC syringe barrel.

The gas system can be comprised of a Aalborg® GFC17 mass flow meter (Cole Parmer Part #EW-32661-34) for controllably flowing oxygen at 90 sccm (or at the specific flow reported for a particular example) into the process and a PEEK capillary (OD 1/16-inch (3-mm) ID 0.004 inches (0.1 mm)) of length 49.5 inches (1.26 m) or other length as indicated in a particular example. The PEEK capillary end can be inserted into liquid hexamethyldisiloxane (Alfa Aesar® Part Number L16970, NMR Grade). The liquid HMDSO can be pulled through the capillary due to the lower pressure in the COC syringe barrel during processing. The HMDSO can be then vaporized into a vapor at the exit of the capillary as it entered the low pressure region.

To ensure no condensation of the liquid HMDSO past this point, the gas stream (including the oxygen) can be diverted to the pumping line when it was not flowing into the interior of the COC syringe barrel for processing via a Swagelok® 3-way valve.

Once the COC syringe barrel was installed, the vacuum pump valve can be opened to the vessel holder 50 and the interior of the COC syringe barrel. An Alcatel rotary vane vacuum pump and blower comprised the vacuum pump system. The pumping system allowed the interior of the COC syringe barrel to be reduced to pressure(s) of less than 150 mTorr while the gaseous reactant or process gases were flowing at the indicated rates. A lower pumping pressure can be achievable with the COC syringe barrel, as opposed to the tube, because the COC syringe barrel has a much smaller internal volume.

After the base vacuum level was achieved, the vessel holder 50 assembly was moved into the electrode 160 assembly. The gas stream (oxygen and HMDSO vapor) was flowed into the brass gas delivery port 110 (by adjusting the 3-way valve from the pumping line to the gas delivery port 110). The pressure inside the COC syringe barrel is approximately 200 mTorr as measured by a capacitance manometer (MKS) installed on the pumping line near the valve that controlled the vacuum. In addition to the COC syringe barrel pressure, the pressure inside the gas delivery port 110 and gas system is also measured with the thermocouple vacuum gauge that is connected to the gas system. This pressure is typically less than 8 Torr.

When the gas is flowing to the interior of the COC syringe barrel, the RF power supply is turned on to its fixed power level. A ENI ACG-6 600 Watt RF power supply is used (at 13.56 MHz) at a fixed power level of approximately 30 Watts. The RF power supply is connected to a COMDEL CPMX1000 auto match that matched the complex impedance of the plasma (to be created in the COC syringe barrel) to the 50 ohm output impedance of the ENI ACG-6 RF power supply. The forward power is 30 Watts (or whatever value is reported in a working example) and the reflected power is 0 Watts so that the power is delivered to the interior of the COC syringe barrel. The RF power supply is controlled by a laboratory timer and the power on time set to 5 seconds (or the specific time period reported for a particular example).

Upon initiation of the RF power, a uniform plasma is established inside the interior of the COC syringe barrel. The plasma is maintained for the entire 5 seconds (or other coating time indicated in a specific example) until the RF power is terminated by the timer. The plasma produced a silicon oxide coating of approximately 20 nm thickness (or the thickness reported in a specific example) on the interior of the COC syringe barrel surface.

After coating, the gas flow is diverted back to the vacuum line and the vacuum valve is closed. The vent valve is then opened, returning the interior of the COC syringe barrel to atmospheric pressure (approximately 760 Torr). The COC syringe barrel is then carefully removed from the vessel holder 50 assembly (after moving the vessel holder 50 assembly out of the electrode 160 assembly).

Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity Layer or Coating

COC syringe barrels as previously identified were interior coated with a lubricity layer. The apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 is modified to hold a COC syringe barrel with butt sealing at the base of the COC syringe barrel. Additionally a cap is fabricated out of a stainless steel Luer fitting and a polypropylene cap that sealed the end of the COC syringe barrel (illustrated in FIG. 8 ). The installation of a Buna-N O-ring onto the Luer fitting allowed a vacuum tight seal, allowing the interior of the COC syringe barrel to be evacuated.

The vessel holder 50 is made from Delrin® with an outside diameter of 1.75 inches (44 mm) and a height of 1.75 inches (44 mm). The vessel holder 50 is housed in a Delrin® structure that allowed the device to move in and out of the electrode 160.

The electrode 160 is made from copper with a Delrin® shield. The Delrin® shield is conformal around the outside of the copper electrode 160. The electrode 160 measured approximately 3 inches (76 mm) high (inside) and is approximately 0.75 inches (19 mm) wide. The COC syringe barrel is inserted into the vessel holder 50, base sealing with Viton® O-rings around the bottom of the finger flanges and lip of the COC syringe barrel.

The COC syringe barrel is carefully moved into the sealing position over the extended (stationary) ⅛-inch (3-mm.) diameter brass probe or counter electrode 108 and pushed against a copper plasma screen. The copper plasma screen is a perforated copper foil material (K&S Engineering Part #LXMUW5 Copper mesh) cut to fit the outside diameter of the COC syringe barrel and is held in place by a abutment surface 494 that acted as a stop for the COC syringe barrel insertion. Two pieces of the copper mesh were fit snugly around the brass probe or counter electrode 108 insuring good electrical contact.

The probe or counter electrode 108 extended approximately 20 mm (unless otherwise indicated) into the interior of the COC syringe barrel and is open at its end. The brass probe or counter electrode 108 extended through a Swagelok® fitting located at the bottom of the vessel holder 50, extending through the vessel holder 50 base structure. The brass probe or counter electrode 108 is grounded to the casing of the RF matching network.

The gas delivery port 110 is connected to a stainless steel assembly comprised of Swagelok® fittings incorporating a manual ball valve for venting, a thermocouple pressure gauge and a bypass valve connected to the vacuum pumping line. In addition, the gas system is connected to the gas delivery port 110 allowing the gaseous reactant or process gas, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) (or the specific gaseous reactant or process gas reported for a particular example) to be flowed through the gas delivery port 110 (under process pressures) into the interior of the COC syringe barrel.

The gas system is comprised of a commercially available Horiba VC1310/SEF8240 OMCTS 10SC 4CR heated mass flow vaporization system that heated the OMCTS to about 100° C. The Horiba system is connected to liquid octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (Alfa Aesar® Part Number A12540, 98%) through a ⅛-inch (3-mm) outside diameter PFA tube with an inside diameter of 1/16 in (1.5 mm). The OMCTS flow rate is set to 1.25 sccm (or the specific organosilicon precursor flow reported for a particular example). To ensure no condensation of the vaporized OMCTS flow past this point, the gas stream is diverted to the pumping line when it is not flowing into the interior of the COC syringe barrel for processing via a Swagelok® 3-way valve.

Once the COC syringe barrel is installed, the vacuum pump valve is opened to the vessel holder 50 and the interior of the COC syringe barrel. An Alcatel rotary vane vacuum pump and blower comprise- the vacuum pump system. The pumping system allows the interior of the COC syringe barrel to be reduced to pressure(s) of less than 100 mTorr while the gaseous reactant or process gases is flowing at the indicated rates. A lower pressure can be obtained in this instance, compared to the tube and previous COC syringe barrel examples, because the overall gaseous reactant or process gas flow rate is lower in this instance.

Once the base vacuum level is achieved, the vessel holder 50 assembly is moved into the electrode 160 assembly. The gas stream (OMCTS vapor) is flowed into the brass gas delivery port 110 (by adjusting the 3-way valve from the pumping line to the gas delivery port 110). Pressure inside the COC syringe barrel is approximately 140 mTorr as measured by a capacitance manometer (MKS) installed on the pumping line near the valve that controlled the vacuum. In addition to the COC syringe barrel pressure, the pressure inside the gas delivery port 110 and gas system is also measured with the thermocouple vacuum gauge that is connected to the gas system. This pressure is typically less than 6 Torr.

Once the gas is flowing to the interior of the COC syringe barrel, the RF power supply is turned on to its fixed power level. A ENI ACG-6 600 Watt RF power supply is used (at 13.56 MHz) at a fixed power level of approximately 6 Watts (or other power level indicated in a specific example). The RF power supply is connected to a COMDEL CPMX1000 auto match which matched the complex impedance of the plasma (to be created in the COC syringe barrel) to the 50 ohm output impedance of the ENI ACG-6 RF power supply. The forward power is 6 Watts and the reflected power is 0 Watts so that 6 Watts of power (or a different power level delivered in a given example) is delivered to the interior of the COC syringe barrel. The RF power supply is controlled by a laboratory timer and the power on time set to 10 seconds (or a different time stated in a given example).

Upon initiation of the RF power, a uniform plasma is established inside the interior of the COC syringe barrel. The plasma is maintained for the entire coating time, until the RF power is terminated by the timer. The plasma produced a lubricity layer or coating on the interior of the COC syringe barrel surface.

After coating, the gas flow is diverted back to the vacuum line and the vacuum valve is closed. The vent valve is then opened, returning the interior of the COC syringe barrel to atmospheric pressure (approximately 760 Torr). The COC syringe barrel is then carefully removed from the vessel holder 50 assembly (after moving the vessel holder 50 assembly out of the electrode 160 assembly).

Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with HMDSO Coating

The Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity layer or coating is also used for applying an HMDSO coating, except substituting HMDSO for OMCTS.

Protocol for Lubricity Testing

VII.B.1.a. The following materials is used in this test:

-   -   Commercial (BD Hypak® PRTC) glass prefillable syringes with         Luer-lok® tip) (ca 1 mL)     -   COC syringe barrels made according to the Protocol for Forming         COC Syringe barrel;     -   Commercial plastic syringe plungers with elastomeric tips taken         from Becton Dickinson Product No. 306507 (obtained as saline         prefilled syringes);     -   Normal saline solution (taken from the Becton-Dickinson Product         No. 306507 prefilled syringes);     -   Dillon Test Stand with an Advanced Force Gauge (Model AFG-50N)     -   Syringe holder and drain jig (fabricated to fit the Dillon Test         Stand)

VII.B.1.a. The following procedure is used in this test.

VII.B.1.a. The jig is installed on the Dillon Test Stand. The platform probe movement is adjusted to 6 in/min (2.5 mm/sec) and upper and lower stop locations were set. The stop locations were verified using an empty syringe and barrel. The commercial saline-filled syringes were labeled, the plungers were removed, and the saline solution is drained via the open ends of the syringe barrels for re-use. Extra plungers were obtained in the same manner for use with the COC and glass barrels.

VII.B.1.a. Syringe plungers were inserted into the COC syringe barrels so that the second horizontal molding point of each plunger is even with the syringe barrel lip (about 10 mm from the tip end). Using another syringe and needle assembly, the test syringes were filled via the capillary end with 2-3 milliliters of saline solution, with the capillary end uppermost. The sides of the syringe were tapped to remove any large air bubbles at the plunger/fluid interface and along the walls, and any air bubbles were carefully pushed out of the syringe while maintaining the plunger in its vertical orientation.

VII.B.1.a. Each filled syringe barrel/plunger assembly is installed into the syringe jig. The test is initiated by pressing the down switch on the test stand to advance the moving metal hammer toward the plunger. When the moving metal hammer is within 5 mm of contacting the top of the plunger, the data button on the Dillon module is repeatedly tapped to record the force at the time of each data button depression, from before initial contact with the syringe plunger until the plunger is stopped by contact with the front wall of the syringe barrel.

VII.B.1.a. All benchmark and coated syringe barrels were run with five replicates (using a new plunger and barrel for each replicate).

VII.B.1.a. COC syringe barrels made according to the Protocol for Forming COC Syringe barrel were coated with an OMCTS lubricity layer or coating according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity layer, except at a power of 7.5 Watts, assembled and filled with saline, and tested as described above in this Example for lubricity layers. The polypropylene chamber used per the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity layer or coating allowed the OMCTS vapor (and oxygen, if added) to flow through the syringe barrel and through the syringe capillary into the polypropylene chamber (although a lubricity layer or coating can not be needed in the capillary section of the syringe in this instance). Different coating conditions were tested. All of the depositions were completed on COC syringe barrels from the same production batch.

VII.B.1.a. The samples were created by coating COC syringe barrels according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity layer. An alternative embodiment of the technology herein, would apply the lubricity layer or coating over another thin film coating, such as SiO_(x), for example applied according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe barrel Interior with SiO_(x).

Instead of the Dillon Test Stand and drain jig, a Genesis Packaging Plunger Force Tester (Model SFT-01 Syringe Force Tester, manufactured by Genesis Machinery, Lionville, Pa.) can also be used following the manufacturer's instructions for measuring Fi and Fm. The parameters that are used on the Genesis tester are:

Start: 10 mm

Speed: 100 mm/min

Range: 20

Units: Newtons

Working Examples

in addition to the Working Examples presented in EP 2 251 455 A2 which are also understood as Working Examples for the present invention.

Examples A-D

Syringe samples were produced as follows. A COC 8007 extended barrel syringe was produced according to the Protocol for Forming COC Syringe Barrel. An SiOx coating was applied to some of the syringes according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with SiOx. A lubricity coating was applied to the SiOx coated syringes according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity layer, modified as follows. The OMCTS was supplied from a vaporizer, due to its low volatility. Argon carrier gas was used. The process conditions were set to the following:

-   -   OMCTS—3 sccm     -   Argon gas—65 sccm     -   Power—6 watts     -   Time—10 seconds

The coater was later determined to have a small leak while producing the L2 samples identified in the Table, which resulted in an estimated oxygen flow of 1.0 sccm. The L3 samples were produced without introducing oxygen.

Several syringes were then tested for lubricity using a Genesis Packaging Plunger Force Tester (Model SFT-01 Syringe Force Tester, manufactured by Genesis Machinery, Lionville, Pa.) according to the Protocol for Lubricity Testing. Both the initiation force and maintenance forces (in Newtons) were noted relative to an uncoated sample, and are reported in Table 1.

Syringes coated with silicon oil were included as a reference since this is the current industry standard.

Examples E-H

Syringe samples were produced as follows. A COC 8007 extended barrel syringe was produced according to the Protocol for Forming COC Syringe Barrel. An SiOx coating was applied to the syringe barrels according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with SiOx. A lubricity coating was applied to the SiOx coated syringes according to the Protocol for Coating COC Syringe Barrel Interior with OMCTS Lubricity layer, modified as follows. The OMCTS was supplied from a vaporizer, due to its low volatility. Argon carrier gas and oxygen were used where noted in Table 2. The process conditions were set to the following, or as indicated in Table 2:

-   -   OMCTS—3 sccm (when used)     -   Argon gas—7.8 sccm (when used)     -   Oxygen 0.38 sccm (when used)     -   Power—3 watts     -   Power on time—10 seconds

Syringes E and F prepared under these conditions, Syringes G prepared under these conditions except without a lubricity coating, and Syringes H (a commercial syringe coated with silicon oil) were then tested for lubricity using a Genesis Packaging Plunger Force Tester according to the Protocol for Lubricity Testing. Both the initiation force and maintenance forces (in Newtons) were noted relative to an uncoated sample, and are reported in Table 2. Syringes coated with silicon oil were included as a reference since this is the current industry standard.

The lubricity results are shown in Table 2 (Initiation Force and Maintenance Force), illustrating under these test conditions as well that the lubricity coating on Syringes E and F markedly improved their lubricity compared to Syringes G which lacked any lubricity coating. The lubricity coating on Syringes E and F also markedly improved their lubricity compared to Syringes H which contained the standard lubricity coating in the industry.

Syringes E, F, and G were also tested to determine total extractable silicon levels (representing extraction of the organosilicon-based PECVD coatings) using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis.

The silicon was extracted using saline water digestion. The tip of each syringe plunger was covered with PTFE tape to prevent extracting material from the elastomeric tip material, then inserted into the syringe barrel base. The syringe barrel was filled with two milliliters of 0.9% aqueous saline solution via a hypodermic needle inserted through the Luer tip of the syringe. This is an appropriate test for extractables because many prefilled syringes are used to contain and deliver saline solution. The Luer tip was plugged with a piece of PTFE beading of appropriate diameter. The syringe was set into a PTFE test stand with the Luer tip facing up and placed in an oven at 50° C. for 72 hours.

Then, either a static or a dynamic mode was used to remove the saline solution from the syringe barrel. According to the static mode indicated in Table 2, the syringe plunger was removed from the test stand, and the fluid in the syringe was decanted into a vessel. According to the dynamic mode indicated in Table 2, the Luer tip seal was removed and the plunger was depressed to push fluid through the syringe barrel and expel the contents into a vessel. In either case, the fluid obtained from each syringe barrel was brought to a volume of 50 ml using 18.2 MΩ*cm deionized water and further diluted 2× to minimize sodium background during analysis. The CVH barrels contained two milliliters and the commercial barrels contained 2.32 milliliters.

Next, the fluid recovered from each syringe was tested for extractable silicon using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) Analysis. The instrument: used was a Perkin Elmer Elan DRC II equipped with a Cetac ASX-520 autosampler. The following ICP-MS conditions were employed:

-   -   Nebulizer: Quartz Meinhardt     -   Spray Chamber: Cyclonic     -   RF (radio frequency) power: 1550 Watts     -   Argon (Ar) Flow: 15.0 L/min     -   Auxiliary Ar Flow: 1.2 L/min     -   Nebulizer Gas Flow: 0.88 L/min     -   Integration time: 80 sec     -   Scanning mode: Peak hopping     -   RPq (The RPq is a rejection parameter) for Cerium as CeO (m/z         156): <2%

Aliquots from aqueous dilutions obtained from Syringes E, F, and G were injected and analyzed for Si in concentration units of micrograms per liter. The results of this test are shown in Table 2. While the results are not quantitative, they do indicate that extractables from the lubricity coating are not clearly higher than the extractables for the SiOx barrier layer only. Also, the static mode produced far less extractables than the dynamic mode, which was expected.

Examples I-K

Syringe samples I, J, and K, employing three different lubricity coatings, were produced in the same manner as for Examples E-H except as follows or as indicated in Table 3:

-   -   OMCTS−2.5 sccm     -   Argon gas−7.6 sccm (when used)     -   Oxygen 0.38 sccm (when used)     -   Power—3 watts     -   Power on time—10 seconds

Syringe I had a three-component coating employing OMCTS, oxygen, and carrier gas. Syringe J had a two component coating employing OMCTS and oxygen, but no carrier gas. Syringe K had a one-component coating (OMCTS only). Syringes I, J, and K were then tested for lubricity as described for Examples E-H.

The lubricity results are shown in Table 3 (Initiation Force and Maintenance Force). Syringe I with a three-component coating employing OMCTS, oxygen, and carrier gas provided the best lubricity results for both initiation force and maintenance force. Syringe J omitting the carrier gas yielded intermediate results. Syringe K had a one-component coating (OMCTS only), and provided the lowest lubricity. This example shows that the addition of both a carrier gas and oxygen to the process gas improved lubricity under the tested conditions.

Examples L-N

Examples I-K using an OMCTS precursor gas were repeated in Examples L-N, except that HMDSO was used as the precursor in Examples L-N. The results are shown in Table 3. The results show that for the tested three-component, two-component, and one-component lubricity coatings, the OMCTS coatings provided lower resistance, thus better lubricity, than the HMDSO coatings, demonstrating the value of OMCTS as the precursor gas for lubricity coatings.

Examples O-V, W, X, Y

In these examples the surface roughness of the lubricity coatings was correlated with lubricity performance.

OMCTS coatings were applied with previously described equipment with the indicated specific process conditions (Table 5) onto one milliliter COC 6013 molded syringe barrels. Plunger force measurements (Fi, Fm) (Table 5) were performed with previously described equipment under the same protocols. Scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) photomicrographs (Table 5, FIGS. 16 to 20 ) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) Root Mean Square (RMS) and other roughness determinations (Tables 5 and 6) were made using the procedures indicated below. Average RMS values are taken from three different RMS readings on the surface. The plunger force tests, AFM and SEM tests reported in table 5 were performed on different samples due to the nature of the individual tests which prohibited a performance of all tests on one sample.

Comparison of Fi/Fm to SEM photomicrograph to AFM Average RMS values clearly indicates that lower plunger forces are realized with non-continuous, rougher OMCTS plasma-coated surfaces (cf. Samples O to Q vs. R to V; FIG. 18-20 ).

Further testing was carried out on sister samples Examples W, X, and Y, respectively made under conditions similar to Example Q, T, and V, to show the Fi and Fm values corresponding to the AFM roughness data. Example W which has a higher surface roughness (compare Example Q in FIG. 18 , Table 5) has much lower Fi and Fm friction values (Table 6) than Example X (compare Example T in FIG. 19 ) or Y. The Fm test shown in Table 6 was interrupted before reaching the measured value of Fm for Examples X and Y because the Fm value was too high.

SEM Procedure

SEM Sample Preparation: Each syringe sample was cut in half along its length (to expose the interior surface). The top of the syringe (Luer end) was cut off to make the sample smaller.

The sample was mounted onto the sample holder with conductive graphite adhesive, then put into a Denton Desk IV SEM Sample Preparation System, and a thin (approximately 50 Å) thick gold coating was sputtered onto the interior surface of the syringe. The gold coating is required to eliminate charging of the surface during measurement.

The sample was removed from the sputter system and mounted onto the sample stage of a Jeol JSM 6390 SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). The sample was pumped down to at least 1×10⁻⁶ Torr in the sample compartment. Once the sample reached the required vacuum level, the slit valve was opened and the sample was moved into the analysis station.

The sample was imaged at a coarse resolution first, then higher magnification images were accumulated. The SEM images provided in the Figures are 5 μm edge-to-edge (horizontal and vertical).

AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) Procedure.

AFM images were collected using a NanoScope III Dimension 3000 machine (Digital Instruments, Santa Barbara, Calif., USA). The instrument was calibrated against a NIST traceable standard. Etched silicon scanning probe microscopy (SPM) tips were used. Image processing procedures involving auto-flattening, plane fitting or convolution were employed. One 10 μm×10 μm area was imaged. Roughness analyses were performed and were expressed in: (1) Root-Mean-Square Roughness, RMS; (2) Mean Roughness, Ra; and (3) Maximum Height (Peak-to-Valley), Rmax, all measured in nm (see Table 5 and FIGS. 18 to 20 ). For the roughness analyses, each sample was imaged over the 10 μm×10 μm area, followed by three cross sections selected by the analyst to cut through features in the 10 μm×10 μm images. The vertical depth of the features was measures using the cross section tool. For each cross section, a Root-Mean-Square Roughness (RMS) in nanmeters was reported. These RMS values along with the average of the three cross sections for each sample are listed in Table 5.

Additional analysis of the 10 μm×10 μm images represented by FIGS. 18 to 20 (Examples Q, T and V) was carried out. For this analysis three cross sections were extracted from each image. The locations of the cross sections were selected by the analyst to cut through features in the images. The vertical depth of the features was measured using the cross section tool.

The Digital Instruments Nanoscope III AFM/STM acquires and stores 3-dimensional representations of surfaces in a digital format. These surfaces can be analyzed in a variety of ways.

The Nanoscope III software can perform a roughness analysis of any AFM or STM image. The product of this analysis is a single color page reproducing the selected image in top view. To the upper right of the image is the “Image Statistics” box, which lists the calculated characteristics of the whole image minus any areas excluded by a stopband (a box with an X through it). Similar additional statistics can be calculated for a selected portion of the image and these are listed in the “Box Statistics” in the lower right portion of the page. What follows is a description and explanation of these statistics.

Image Statistics:

Z Range (R_(p)): The difference between the highest and lowest points in the image. The value is not corrected for tilt in the plane of the image; therefore, plane fitting or flattening the data will change the value.

Mean: The average of all of the Z values in the imaged area. This value is not corrected for the tilt in the plane of the image; therefore, plane fitting or flattening the data will change this value.

RMS (R_(q)): This is the standard deviation of the Z values (or RMS roughness) in the image. It is calculated according to the formula: R _(q)={Σ(Z ₁ −Z _(avg))2/N}

where Zavg is the average Z value within the image; Z1 is the current value of Z; and N is the number of points in the image. This value is not corrected for tilt in the plane of the image; therefore, plane fitting or flattening the data will change this value.

Mean roughness (R_(a)): This is the mean value of the surface relative to the Center Plane and is calculated using the formula: R _(a)=[1/(L _(x) L _(y))]∫_(o) ^(Ly)∫_(o) ^(Lx) {f(x,y)}dxdy

where f(x,y) is the surface relative to the Center plane, and L_(x) and L_(y) are the dimensions of the surface.

Max height (R_(max)): This is the difference in height between the highest and lowest points of the surface relative to the Mean Plane.

Surface area: (Optical calculation): This is the area of the 3-dimensional surface of the imaged area. It is calculated by taking the sum of the areas of the triangles formed by 3 adjacent data points throughout the image.

Surface area diff: (Optional calculation) This is the amount that the Surface area is in excess of the imaged area. It is expressed as a percentage and is calculated according to the formula: Surface area diff=100[(Surface area/S ₁2)−1]

where S₁ is the length (and width) of the scanned area minus any areas excluded by stopbands.

Center Plane: A flat plane that is parallel to the Mean Plane. The volumes enclosed by the image surface above and below the center plane are equal.

Mean Plane: The image data has a minimum variance about this flat plane. It results from a first order least squares fit on the Z data.

Summary of Lubricity Measurements

Table 8 shows a summary of the above OMCTS coatings and their Fi and Fm values. It has to be understood that the initial lubricity coating work (C-K; roughness not known) was to identify the lowest possible plunger force attainable. From subsequent market input, it was determined that the lowest achievable plunger force was not necessarily most desirable, for reasons explained in the generic description (e.g. premature release). Thus, the PECVD reaction parameters were varied to obtain a plunger force of practical market use.

Example Z: Lubricity Coating Extractables

Total silicon extractables were measured using ICP-MS analysis. The syringes were evaluated in both static and dynamic situations. The following describes the test procedure:

Syringe filled with 2 ml of 0.9% saline solution

Syringe placed in a stand—stored at 50° C. for 72 hours.

After 72 hours saline solution test for total silicon

Total silicon measure before and after saline solution expelled through syringe.

The extractable Silicon Levels from a silicon oil coated glass syringe and a Lubricity coated and SiO₂ coated COC syringe are shown in Table 7. Precision of the ICP-MS total silicon measurement is +/−3%.

TABLE 1 PLUNGER SLIDING FORCE MEASUREMENTS OF OMCTS-BASED PLASMA COATINGS MADE WITH CARRIER GAS Carrier Lubricity Gas Lubricity Lubricity OMCTS Lubricity (Ar) Layer or Coating Flow O2 Flow Flow Coating Initiation Maintenance Coating coating Time Rate Rate Rate Power Force, F_(i) Force, F_(m) Example Type Monomer (sec) (sccm) (sccm) (sccm) (Watts) (N, Kg.) (N, Kg.) A Uncoated n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a >11N >11N  (Control) COC >1.1 Kg. >1.1 Kg. B Silicon oil n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 8.2N 6.3N (Industry on COC 0.84 Kg. 0.64 Kg. Standard) C L3 OMCTS 10 sec 3 0 65 6 4.6N 4.6N (without Lubricity 0.47 Kg. 0.47 Kg. Oxygen) layer or coating over SiO_(x) on COC D L2 OMCTS 10 sec 3 1 65 6 4.8N 3.5N (with Lubricity 0.49 Kg. 0.36 Kg. Oxygen) layer or coating over SiO_(x) on COC

TABLE 2 OMCTS Lubricity Coatings (E and F) Ini- Mainte- tiation nance ICPMS Exam- OMCTS O₂ Ar Force, Force, (μg./ ICPMS ple (sccm) (sccm) (sccm) Fi (N) Fm (N) liter) Mode E 3.0 0.38 7.8 4.8 3.5 <5 static F 3.0 0.38 7.8 5.4 4.3 38 dynamic G n/a n/a n/a 13 11 <5 static (SiOx only) H n/a n/a n/a 8.2 6.3 (silicon oil)

TABLE 3 OMCTS Lubricity Coatings Initiation Maintenance OMCTS O₂ Ar Force, Force, Example (sccm) (sccm) (sccm) Fi (N) Fm (N) I 2.5 0.38 7.6 5.1 4.4 J 2.5 0.38 — 7.1 6.2 K 2.5 — — 8.2 7.2

TABLE 4 HMDSO Coatings Initiation Maintenance HMDSO O₂ Ar Force, Force, Example (sccm) (sccm) (sccm) Fi (N) Fm (N) L 2.5 0.38 7.6 9 8.4 M 2.5 0.38 — >11 >11 N 2.5 — — >11 >11

TABLE 5 SEM Dep. Micrograph OMCTS Ar/O₂ Power Time Plunger Force (5 micron AF AFM RMS Example (sccm) (sccm) (Watts) (sec) Fi (lbs, Kg) Fm (lbs, Kg) Vertical) (nanometers) O Baseline 2.0 10/0.38 3.5 10 4.66, 2.11 3.47, 1.57 OMCTS (ave) (ave) P Lubricity FIG. 16 Q 19.6, 9.9, 9.4 (Average = 13.0) FIGS. 18A, 18B, 18C R High Power 2.0 10/0.38 4.5 10 4.9, 2.2 7.6, 3.4 S OMCTS FIG. 17 T Lubricity 12.5, 8.4, 6.1 (Average = 6.3) FIG. 19A, 20B, 20C U No O₂ OMCTS 2.0 10/0 3.4 10 4.9, 2.2 9.7, 4.4 Lubricity (stopped) V 1.9, 2.6, 3.0 (Average = 2.3) FIG. 20A, 20B, 20C

TABLE 6 Dep. Siloxane Power Time F_(i) (lb., F_(m) (lb., SiO_(x)/Lub Coater Mode Feed Ar/O₂ (W) (Sec.) Kg.) Kg.) Example W SiO_(x): Auto-Tube Auto HMDSO 0 sccm Ar, 37 7 ~ ~ SiOx/Baseline 52.5 in, 90 sccm O₂ OMCTS Lub 133.4 cm. Lubricity: Auto-S same OMCTS, 10 sccm Ar 3.4 10 2.9, 3.3, 1.5 2.0 sccm 0.38 sccm O₂ 1.3 Example X SiO_(x): same same same same 37 7 ~ ~ SiOx/High Lubricity: same same same same 4.5 10 5, 2.3 9.5, 4.3 Pwr OMCTS stopped Lub Example Y SiOx: Auto-Tube same same 0 sccm Ar, 37 7 ~ ~ SiOx/No O₂ 90 sccm O₂ OMCTS Lub Lubricity: Auto-S same same 10 sccm Ar 3.4 10 5.6, 9.5, 4.3 0 sccm O₂ stopped

TABLE 7 Silicon Extractables Comparison of Lubricity Coatings Package Type Static (ug/L) Dynamic (ug/L) Cyclic Olefin Syringe with CV 70 81 Holdings SiOCH Lubricity Coating Borocilicate Glass Syringe with 825 835 silicone oil

TABLE 8 Summary Table of OMCTS coatings from Tables 1, 2, 3 and 5 Dep Exam- OMCTS O₂ Ar Power Time ple (sccm) (sccm) (sccm) (Watt) (sec) F_(i)(lbs) F_(m)(lbs) C 3.0 0.00 65 6 10 1.0 1.0 D 3.0 1.00 65 6 10 1.1 0.8 E 3.0 0.38 7.8 6 10 0.8 1.1 F 3.0 0.38 7.8 6 10 1.2 1.0 I 2.5 0.38 7.6 6 10 1.1 1.0 J 2.5 0.38 0.0 6 10 1.6 1.4 K 2.5 0.00 0.0 6 10 1.8 1.6 O 2.0 0.38 10 3.5 10 4.6 3.5 R 2.0 0.38 10 4.5 10 4.9 7.6 U 2.0 0.00 10 3.4 10 4.9 9.7 (stop) W 2.0 0.38 10 3.4 10 2.9 3.3 X 2.0 0.38 10 4.5 10 5.0 9.5 (stop) Y 2.0 0.00 10 3.4 10 5.6 9.5 (stop)

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art and practising the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A syringe comprising a barrel and a plunger, the barrel having an interior surface coated at least in part with a lubricity coating made by: (a) providing a gas comprising a monocyclic siloxane, O₂, and a noble gas, in the vicinity of the interior surface; and (b) generating a plasma in the gas using charged electrodes, thus forming a coating on the interior surface by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) under conditions effective to form a lubricity coating on the interior surface comprising a crosslinked monocyclic siloxane chemical structure and having a plunger initiation force Fi of 4.8 to 11 N; wherein the conditions effective include: a ratio of the O₂ to the monocyclic siloxane, a power used for generating the plasma, a ratio of the noble gas to the monocyclic siloxane, or any combination thereof.
 2. The syringe of claim 1, in which the plunger initiation force F_(i) is from 5.1 to 11 N.
 3. The syringe of claim 1, in which the plunger initiation force F_(i) is from 5.4 to 11 N.
 4. The syringe of claim 1, in which a plunger maintenance force F_(m) is from 3.5 to 11 N.
 5. The syringe of claim 1, in which a plunger maintenance force F_(m) is from 4.3 to 11 N.
 6. The syringe of claim 1, in which a plunger maintenance force F_(m) is from 4.4 to 11 N.
 7. The syringe according to claim 1 which contains a medicament in contact with the lubricity coating.
 8. The syringe of claim 1, wherein the lubricity coating has an atomic ratio Si_(w)O_(x)C_(y) or Si_(w)N_(x)C_(y) wherein w is 1, x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4, and y is from about 0.6 to about
 3. 9. The syringe of claim 1, wherein the lubricity coating has an average thickness of from 10 to 1000 nm.
 10. The syringe of claim 1, wherein the syringe barrel is COC, wherein the gas in step (a) comprises octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, O₂ and Ar, and wherein the plasma is generated by applying a power density from 6 W/ml to 0.1 W/ml in relation to the volume of the syringe lumen.
 11. The syringe of claim 1, which contains a medicament.
 12. The syringe of claim 1, in which the monocyclic siloxane comprises octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS). 